Wilde Wedding
by TatorTotTottish
Summary: Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde have a wedding to plan, but with parents and a wedding planner trying to make things "perfect," and four kids to manage, the two might be up against more than they bargained for, especially when things don't go as expected. WARNING: some chapters depict graphic scenes - nothing too extreme, though. JudyxNick
1. Chapter 1

"Put. It. Down."

Nick Wilde's voice was perfectly clear as it cut crisply across the living room to a certain bunny's perky ears. With a roll of her eyes and an indignant noise, Judy Hopps turned the page of her somewhat large magazine. Dressed in black leggings and a semi-baggy maroon shirt that draped over her elegant figure nicely, the rabbit sat comfortably on a black leather couch that occupied most of the space in their living room. With her feet rested on a dark coffee table and her late evening tea, still warm, waiting on a coaster nearby, the bunny was in absolute paradise.

"Hmm?" she inquired with raised eyebrows as the magazine page kept her attention.

Nick, dripping wet from his shower with a white towel wrapped loosely around his waist, stared at the back of her head lazily as he replied from his place just at the entrance of the living room. "Put the magazine down."

"It's magazine _s_ technically," Judy responded as she waved a paw toward a stack of magazines that sat below her propped up feet.

"You have more than one?" Nick asked and then chuckled. "Of course you have more than one." Still staring at her magazine, a small smile flickered across Judy's lips. "Oh, I've got dozens. I have more in my bedside table upstairs too," she grinned wryly, still not making eye contact with Nick.

"You're a hoarder and you have a problem, Carrots."

"What is this, an intervention?" Another page turn.

"Carrots, I'm worried about you. The children are worried about you," Nick stated in a voice full of exaggeration and false worry.

"The children are worried about the fact that they don't have married parents," Judy said curtly.

"Ouch! Low blow!" Nick laughed loudly.

A large grin across his face, Nick removed his slightly damp towel and threw it at Judy. The towel hit with a small thud, making Judy turn, scoff, and throw her magazine, flailing pages and all, at a chortling Nick.

"Mommy? Daddy?"

A small, innocent voice came from the end of the hall as a now almost three-year-old Violet slowly toddled toward the living room, eyes still sleepy from her short time asleep, despite the time now being much past her bedtime.

"Nick!" Judy hissed as Nick snatched a pillow from the couch and covered himself as their daughter came into view.

"Hey, Baby!" Nick grinned, "What are you doing up?"

The baby shrugged, her fur and pajamas ruffled.

Nick smiled at the sweet little bunny. "Go back to sleep, Honey."

With a small nod, Violet, the easiest to get to sleep by far, turned and carefully climbed back up the carpeted steps and walked back into the room she shared with her three brothers. Once the tiny bunny was out of sight and there was no noise coming from the second floor, Nick looked back at Judy, a grin on his face. Judy, however, did not return the grin.

"Put your clothes on!" she reprimanded, "You almost scarred your daughter for life!"

"Chill, _Mom_. I had it handled," Nick scoffed as he dropped the couch pillow and pretended to flex his arms, to which Judy responded with a roll of her eyes.

"I'm going up to bed," Nick raised his eyebrows and gave her a look as he said "bed" in a certain tone, "You coming?"

Judy laughed and picked up a magazine from the pile that sat beneath her. She showed the cover to Nick, who stuck out his tongue in objection at the picture of the bridal gowns.

"We aren't doing _anything_ until _after_ we are married," Judy teased.

Nick shrugged with a lazy expression. "I think our four kids are proof that that has never been a rule in this house, but whatever. It's you missing out."

He then picked up the damp towel from the floor, swung it over his right shoulder, and went upstairs. Judy sat in silence for a few moments as she reflected over a few things, before she stood, grabbed her tea, and followed Nick.

Once on the second floor, Judy peered into her kids' room and glanced over all four children. Violet, Alan, Robin, and Red were all sound asleep in their small beds, now separate, that took up about half of the room. Violet was curled into a small bundle, her favorite stuffed bunny wrapped tightly in her paws, Alan was lying flat on his back with his covers pulled up to his chest neatly without any wrinkles, almost as if they hadn't even been moved, Robin was on his stomach, sprawled over his mattress with his sheets in tangles around him, and Red was half lying on the floor. Judy crept into the room and placed Red back in bed, covered Robin up once more, kissed Alan on the forehead, and smoothed a paw over Violet's messy fur before leaving, closing the door behind her as she did so. Hopefully, no one would experience any bad dreams or hear any loud noises important enough to cause a bit of midnight chaos. Judy then went into her own bedroom, a fairly large one she and Nick occupied. Nick was partially dressed now with a pair of flannel pajama pants covering him from the waist down while his chest remained bare. He was lounging on the bed, TV remote in paw as he absentmindedly flicked through various television channels. Judy closed the bedroom door and leaned against it as she looked at Nick. "Can we talk?" she asked somewhat shyly.

Nick glanced over curiously before flicking off the TV and jumping up from the bed.

"What is it?" he asked with some concern creeping into his voice.

"I just-well, I-do you really want to get married?"

Completely taken aback, Nick hesitated a moment, a hurt expression clear across his facial features.

"I didn't mean-I just-" Judy stated, flustered, "I'm just nervous."

"You don't have to be nervous, Carrots." Nick pulled Judy closer to him as he spoke, "Of course, I want to marry you. Since when do you doubt stuff like this?"

Judy shook her head and looked down at her feet. "I'm just having difficulty processing all of this. There's so much to do and so much to think about."

"Like what?" Nick asked, "Tell me what we need to do and I'll help. You don't have to do this all by yourself."

"No, I know, and I don't want to; it's just that some things can be handled quicker if I do them."

"You don't want me to help plan our wedding?" Nick chuckled.

Judy's face blushed a light shade of red. "That's not what I meant! It's just that-"

"I know, it's just easier to do the things you don't think need to involve several people. I get it. I know you, but I think you're stressing yourself out over something that isn't very important."

"Not important?" Judy asked as she pulled away from Nick's grasp, "What do you mean 'not important?' This is a huge deal!"

"I know, that's not what I meant-"

"Yes, it is," Judy stated bitterly, "It's like you don't even want this."

Judy stormed past him and into the bathroom that joined their room.

"You're picking a fight for no reason, Carrots," Nick called after her, "Of course I want this! I proposed, didn't I?"

"Only because you knocked me up!" Judy yelled as she came storming out of the bathroom with her pajamas in paw. Nick rolled his eyes as he watched the bunny angrily throw the clothes down on the bed and turn on him swiftly.

"I didn't knock you up. No, we didn't talk about it, but it definitely wasn't a one-night stand," Nick stated lazily.

"You sure about that, Nick?" Judy hissed. Nick narrowed his eyes.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked with a confused smirk.

"You know exactly what it means!" Judy yelled, her voice rising with each word, "Don't act like you meant for any of this to happen!"

"What? You think I don't want this? You think I regret the kids, regret you? Is that it?"

"You tell me, Nick!"

"Tell you? You should know!"

"I don't, okay? I just don't anymore!"

"Are you telling me you regret this?" Nick asked, astounded. Judy threw her paws into the air before turning away and then turning back with a scoff.

"Well? Do you? Regret us? Regret the kids? Regret me? Has nothing meant a thing to you this entire time? Huh?"

"That's not what I'm saying, Nick!"

"Then what are you saying?"

" _I don't know_! But I don't regret my kids and I _certainly_ don't regret you!"

Nick took a deep breath before speaking again. "Look, we're just tired. We had a big day, but we got a lot done, okay? We talked to our planner, got a rough outline; we are making progress. We even had time to take the kids out for lunch, which was fun for everyone. We aren't really having this fight, because this isn't what we do," Nick sighed, "We haven't been together for almost seven years just for us to fight about something we've wanted this entire time."

At this, Judy sighed and did another quick half turn as she thought things over. "You're right, I'm sorry. I'm being crazy."

"No, you aren't. Obsessive, yeah, but not crazy."

Judy laughed and playfully tossed a pillow at Nick, which he caught with ease.

"We're a mess," he chuckled, "Just one big mess."

Judy nodded slowly in agreement as she reflected over a few things. "Do you know what Robin told me today?"

Nick shook his head with a shrug. "He says a lot of things, Carrots."

Judy smiled. "Well, he told me that you gave him a chocolate bar for breakfast."

"Ugh, that snitch."

"But, he also told me that he thinks Mommy and Daddy are 'good,' to put it in his words."

Nick laughed and shook his head. "Glad to know that our kids think we're a cute couple."

"Now all we have to do is get married," Judy smirked.

"Yeah, which isn't hard at all," Nick remarked sarcastically. Judy tossed another pillow at the fox before running a paw over her face. She paused and glanced at the glittering ring that was present on her paw.

"It's going to be a Wilde Wedding," she sighed heavily.

Nick laughed loudly. "Pun intended?" he asked.

"Pun intended."


	2. Chapter 2

"Daddy!"

"Up! Up!"

"Daaaaaaddy!" Nick kept his eyes closed despite the tornado of chaotic children that surrounded him. From what he could hear and feel, Violet was tugging on his ears and repeating "Daddy" over and over again, Robin was climbing over his back, Red was tugging roughly on his right foot as he continued to scream "Up!," and he was pretty sure that Alan was just sitting quietly somewhere close. Yes, despite the physical pain his children were causing him, Nick didn't dare open his eyes, mumble a word, or even move, because that meant an even worse onslaught from the children who would surely realize he was faking sleep. This charade continued for many minutes, until he heard a very quiet Alan finally speak, and what he said could have given Nick nightmares.

"Hi, Mommy."

"I'm up!" Nick hollered as he quickly pulled himself up with his arms. The sight that met him included four wide-eyed children happy to see their father awake and a very frustrated bunny with crossed arms and a thumping foot. "It's past nine," Judy growled as she reached for a smiling Alan, who clearly favored her. "I know," Nick sighed with a whining voice as he slid from the bed and ran a paw over his tired face. "Well, did you know that we are going to be late to work?"

"Yes, Carrots." Another sigh escaped Nick's lips as he dragged his feet into the bathroom, where he quickly splashed water onto his from the running faucet. "Did you also know that your mother is sick and can't watch the kids today?" Water dripping from his fur, Nick ran a paw over his face as a frustrated groan escaped his lips. "You're kidding," he stated, as if stating it made it true. "Nope," Judy replied shortly, "Also, the wedding planner called; she wants to meet with us tomorrow afternoon."

"Tomorrow?"

"Yes, tomorrow." Nick entered the bedroom once more, where Judy paced back and forth, a content Alan in her arms. Robin and Red were chasing each other around the room, while Violet sat patiently at the end of the king-size bed. "What's the plan with the kids?" Nick asked as he pulled on one of many green Hawaiian button-up shirts that occupied his closet space. Judy fixed the fox with a coy look. "I called in a favor," she smirked easily, which made Nick slightly uneasy. Before he could question further, Judy had turned her attention to the children. "In the car everyone! Let's go! Come on!" Without another word, Nick quickly buttoned his shirt, grabbed the car keys, his badge, and wallet from their places on his bedside table before following his family down to the kitchen.

From the look of the kitchen, it was clear that the children had been up for some time, as the kitchen smelled of waffles, and the dishwasher was whirling with noise as it cleaned the most recent load of filthy dishes. From the kitchen counter, Judy picked up the two coffee cups she had premade and handed one to Nick. Nowadays, due to the couple's hectic schedule, they made all of their coffee at home. In fact, the couple hadn't visited their favorite coffee shop, or their favorite diner for that matter, in many months.

As usual, every car ride with the Wilde-Hopps family was an absolute nightmare. It was also a fairly loud process as Nick and Judy attempted to load the kids into the car. By the end of the ordeal, even Nick, a mostly relaxed and sarcastic fox, would appear to be ruffled and a little on edge. The drive was usually worse, with every one of the four children demanding something in high pitched squeals.

Approximately fifteen minutes later, Nick pulled their SUV into the parking lot of the Zootopia Police Department. He quickly maneuvered the vehicle into the parking spot that had belonged to him and Judy for years. As two of the ZPD's top police officers, Judy and Nick were like war veterans with many stories to tell. New officers strived to be them, as they represented the "perfect" situation, with a happy relationship, a family, and wonderful careers. To Nick and Judy, it wasn't always that simple.

"Alright, Rabbit, what do we do with the kids?" Nick questioned as he watched Judy hop from her place in the passenger's seat down onto the pavement below before she opened the back right car door to start unbuckling Red. Her paws expertly undoing Red's seatbelt, and then Alan's, Judy replied in a simple tone. "Take them inside, of course," she stated matter-of-factly. Nick rolled his eyes as he also got out of the car and began helping the kids out of the car.

Nick and Judy walked into the lobby of the ZPD with a chaotic circus as they led the four children inside. Alan was comfortably seated on Judy's right hip as she cradled him lightly, while Violet followed closely at her feet, never straying. Red and Robin, the two more reckless children, were climbing all over Nick as the fox chuckled lightly at Judy's disapproving "mother look."

It was with great joy that the family was greeted by a familiar animated voice. Benjamin Clawhauser, an overweight, overexcited cheetah practically screamed with glee at the sight of Nick, Judy, and their children. In fact, everyone in the lobby had about the same reaction, as it was a rarity to see not only two great cops, but the babies that their interspecies relationship had created despite not being married first; the family didn't really get out much anymore. Balancing the two boys, Nick leaned down to Judy's height. "We aren't leaving the kids with Clawhauser, right?" he whispered from the corner of his mouth. "I mean, I love the guy, I'm just worried he'll give them enough sugar to keep them up for two years." Judy laughed and waved at Clawhauser as she made her way over to his large reception area. "Hey, Clawhauser. We can't really chat too much; taking the kids up to the Chief," she stated kindly.

"The Chief?" Nick blanched. Judy ignored him. Also surprised by the fact that the Chief would be responsible for the children, Clawhauser took a moment to reply, but quickly bounced back into the conversation. "Just make sure you come back, Judy. I've got a case for you two." Thanking the big cat, Judy led her family into the elevator that was just off to the side of the desk. Once the steel doors slid shut, Nick wheeled on Judy. "When were you planning on letting me know that the kids are spending the day with the Chief?"

"I just did, didn't I?" Judy smirked. Nick's eyebrows furrowed as he glared at her smirk. "They're my kids too, Carrots. I'd like to know when you plan on leaving them with our _boss_."

"We have yet to prove the kids are yours," Judy joked. "Relax, Nick, I've got it under control."

"Since when do you of all animals tell me to relax?" Judy shrugged in reply as the elevator doors slid open once more. As the family began walking down the hall to the Chief's office, a thought occurred to Nick. "Carrots, does the Chief know we're leaving the kids with him?"

"Not exactly," Judy mumbled. Nick didn't even have time to react as the rabbit quickly opened the door to the cape buffalos' office, all he heard was the Chief's booming voice.

"Hopps! Wilde! You're late-what is _this_?" The Chief had been sitting at his massive desk when the four small children had invaded his office. The cape buffalo was now on his feet, completely distraught.

"Chief, we have a little bit of a problem," Judy said calmly.

"You're damn right we do! What are your children doing here?"

"Watch your mouth around my children," Judy glared. Nick scoffed; Judy never failed to surprise him. Here they were, bothering the mammal in charge of their employment, and chastising _him_ about language of all things. However, that didn't stop Nick from taking a moment to reflect on how much he loved that crazy little bunny.

"Just take them for the day."

"Are you mad, Hopps? They're children in a police station!"

"I don't have any other choice today, Chief."

"Take them home!"

"With who to watch them? If you think I'm going home, you're mistaken."

"I'll go home," Nick chipped in quickly. Judy turned and shot him a very nasty look before turning back to the Chief. "He isn't going anywhere either," she snapped. The Chief snorted violently. "You're pushing it, Hopps!"

"Oh, I'm always pushing it! Are you going to take them for the day or not?" Slightly taken aback at Judy's ever lasting boldness, the Chief stood in silence for a few moments. "Fine," he sighed. "But only today!"

"Thank you, Chief," Judy grinned as she grabbed Nick by the paw and started leading him to the door. "We'll pick them up at the end of the day."

Out in the hall, Judy laughed. "I can't believe that just worked!"

"Carrots, that was by far the greatest thing I have ever seen," Nick chuckled. Behind them, they heard what sounded like a vase smash inside the Chief's office. The two froze and exchanged worried glances. "I'm sure they're fine…?" Nick attempted to reassure Judy.

" _Hopps_!" The Chief's voice echoed all throughout the ZPD, shaking the very walls. Both Judy and Nick flinched before looking at each other again. "They're fine," Judy stated before quickly walking into the elevator, Nick following hurriedly behind her, and pressing the panel to close it. With the doors shut and the elevator gliding back down to the lobby, the fox and bunny took a moment to laugh. "We are so fired," Judy giggled.

"Yes, but we can get this case in really quick if we run. You up for it?"

"Of course I'm up for it," Judy smiled. "Someone has to make the world a better place."


	3. Chapter 3

"We're back, bitc-!"

"Language."

"Ah, you never let me have any fun!" Nick laughed. "You ready, Carrots?"

"Hit it."

With a somewhat evil grin, Nick switched the radio to a rock and roll station that was blaring one of the latest hits, and with a flick of his wrist, turned the music up until the thumping beat filled the SUV. The sly fox then leaned back easily in the passenger seat, his movements fluent as he adjusted the sunglasses he was wearing down his face just enough for him to peer out over the top of the shades, adding a bit of allure to his already angled facial features. "Your turn, Darling," he grinned. Judy, comfortably seated in the driver's seat, shifted the vehicle into reverse. With a screech of tires and a wicked look of satisfaction, the bunny swiftly pulled the car from its parking spot and then laughed.

"Oh, how I missed this," she chuckled before throwing the SUV into drive and pressing down on the accelerant. With a smell of burning rubber and screeching tires that surely left marks in the ZPD parking lot, the two were off, police siren wailing as they swerved in and out of traffic.

"Alright, so here's the deal," Nick hollered over the road noise, music, and siren. "String of bank robberies over the last few weeks–all Downtown. Some officers were positioned to keep an eye on things, but they still have no idea who's doing it or why. From the looks of it, though, there's a pattern."

"And this bank is next."

"Yep, pretty top priority bank too."

"Keeping it nonlethal?"

"Sounds good to me. Going off of previous robberies, I'd say this thing is most likely gonna happen at about noon."

"So two minutes from now?"

"Yep."

"And we're nowhere near the bank, which is all the way across town, right?"

"Yep."

"We'll make it." Her foot now practically pressed to the floor, Judy easily blew through two red lights in a matter of seconds. Nick grasped onto the dashboard as Judy swerved the large SUV through heavy afternoon traffic. " _Watch_ _it_ , Carrots!" the fox shouted as Judy just barely missed a delivery truck that was attempting to park in front of a bakery. "I didn't exactly take you for a reckless driver."

Judy scoffed. "We've been partners for _years_ , don't act like this is a surprise."

"You're right, I think your obsession with romance novels is the real surprise."

"Oh, please, as if your obsession with cartoons isn't!"

"It's not an obsession, Hopps, it's a passion!" Nick's reply sent Judy into a fit of giggles, which consequently led to Nick entering into a bout of laughter. Though neither would admit it, they had missed this; missed the cases that were just the two of them having fun, no strings attached. The last time they had this type of fun, it had been–well, it had been before they had started dating, another thing neither would admit. It wasn't that dating or children had caused the fun to vanish, it had simply caused complications, as it should. The complications were and continue to be entertaining, sure, but sometimes, old fashioned joy is enough.

Judy brought the SUV to an ear-splitting stop in front of the to-be-victimized bank, but from the signs of broken glass and mammals shouting, the victimizing had already begun. The two quickly exited the vehicle, tranquilizer guns pulled from their belts as they did so, and stealthily made their way up onto the sidewalk in front of the bank.

"I'll take the back," Judy told Nick, who nodded.

"Watch yourself, Carrots."

" _You_ watch _yourself_ , I've still got it."

"Oh, yeah? I don't know, with all of that extra weight from the kids-"

"My aim is still excellent, so I'd quit walking on thin ice, _Nicholas_ ," Judy practically hissed with confidence in every syllable. Nick chuckled quietly. "Ah, you didn't have to ' _Nicholas_ ' me, I was joking!" Shaking her head, but smiling at Nick's antics, Judy crept around the side of the large stone building. Nick, who took one last look in Judy's direction to ensure all was well, holstered his tranquilizer gun and walked into the front of the bank with a sway in his step.

"Stop right there!"

Completely sanguine, Nick did as the voice said, casually putting his paws in the air for added pleasure. The front office of the bank was completely trashed, with various papers, writing utensils, and office supplies scattered across the carpeted floor. In one corner off to Nick's right, about a dozen mammals, some employees, others customers, were all down on the floor and huddled against one another. Fear was plastered on all of their faces, and Nick immediately saw why. The owner of the voice that had commanded Nick's cease in movements was a badger with a permanent snarl set into his features, and he was holding what appeared to be a fully loaded automatic assault rifle. Nick swallowed hard at the sight of the gun, not expecting to see such a heavy-hitting weapon anywhere near this case and knowing that Judy was still unaware of the danger. With only tranquilizers on both of them, the case statistics just went down in the officers' favors.

Clearly the leader, the badger stood in the center of the bank, gun draped over his shoulder as if the world belonged to him. Behind the counter, three more badgers worked to stuff money into several knapsacks. From what Nick could tell, they still had a lot more money to collect if they were planning on empting the bank, so time was something on his side.

"No mask. We're the cocky type, I see," Nick smirked casually.

"Shut it!"

"Tsk, tsk, such a temper. I guess the belief that you can't have all power and be all good is true, considering you clearly have all the power right now."

"And you best keep that in mind if you want to stay alive."

"If you were going to kill me, you already would have. Come on, you know I'm a cop."

"Calling me a coward?"

"If that's the word you prefer, then-" Nick was interrupted by the sound of the rifle firing several times as the badger shot at the ceiling. The group of mammals in the corner cowered and whimpered in fear. Even Nick had bent down slightly in fright of being shot at. "Oh, too far, Nick," the fox muttered to himself as he straightened back up.

Judy, who had successfully made her way to the back entrance of the building, hacked into the bank's security system to unlock the door, and had already entered the building, was primed and ready to silently take out the badger that was nearest to her. Completely alone and clearly nervous as well as distracted with the task to gather money, the badger was an easy target, but the bunny was interrupted by the sound of a rifle unloading a clip within seconds. Judy quickly retreated, firmly pressing her back against the nearest wall as she hid from the sound. Her breathing became rapid at the shocking realization that there was a deadly gun being used just in the other room, and that it has just been fired at hopefully no one, especially not at Nick. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Judy quickly reassured herself that Nick wasn't stupid, he could handle the situation... maybe. No matter the case, she needed to do her job. The bunny then turned the corner slowly, took aim, and silently took down the badger she had been eying earlier. Judy then crept slowly toward the now unconscious badger, checked his breathing, took his weapon – a pistol – and surveyed the area. With no one else nearby, Judy unhooked her ZPD communicator from her belt and called for backup.

"I have a question for you."

"Shut your mouth fox!"

"Aw, come on, just one little question?"

"Do you ever _stop_ talking?"

"Ha, my wife asks the same thing." The badger fidgeted slightly at the word "wife," which Nick quickly took advantage of. He was going to back a lie with several truths. "Oh, I'm sorry, did I not mention I have a wife? Four kids too, all adorable. Any of you have kids?" Nick asked the group of cowering mammals. A few nodded shakily. "Yeah, kids are great. Always keeping you on your toes," Nick chuckled, almost to himself. "Do you have any kids?" The badger scoffed at the question as if it were the stupidest thing to be asked. The question went unanswered, the badger growing increasingly uncomfortable.

Nick nodded his head in understanding. "Hey, I get it. Having a family is rough, especially when you can only provide by stealing from banks."

" _Shut up_!"

Judy froze over the second badger, also now unconscious. She had been unloading the badger's gun, also a pistol, when a ferocious shout had startled her. "Don't do anything stupid, Nick," she muttered as she continued on. It didn't take her long to locate the final badger behind the counter. She took aim quickly and fired a silent tranquilizer dart that caught the mammal just beneath his jaw.

From his position at the front of the bank, Nick saw the third badger take a tranquilizer to the neck and quickly drop to the floor. He could also hear police sirens wailing far away; Judy must have called for backup. From the corner of his eye, Nick caught a glimpse of Judy moving behind the counter. Big mistake. The badger protected with the rifle caught Nick's glance and turned quickly, just nearly missing a look at Judy, but he noticed a lack in movement. "Guys?" he called out, somewhat anxiously. When no reply came, the badger began moving toward the counter, his gun at the ready.

The next few seconds were filled with silent chaos as several things happened all at once. Nick quickly pulled his tranquilizer gun from his belt, aimed, fired, and missed the badger by just a few millimeters, sending the dart into the wood of the counter. Heart racing, Nick then attempted to reload his gun, leaving him defenseless as the badger turned and aimed his rifle right at the fox. Judy quickly stood up from behind the counter and also took aim with her tranquilizer. All was silent with the exception of police sirens, now very close, crying in the road outside, until-

"Nick!" Judy's scream directed Nick's attention to first the rifle about to kill him and then to her, and then one rapid thought crossed his mind before guns finally fired: _She's aiming at_ me.

" _Jud_ -"

Judy's gun fired, then the rifle, and Nick hit the floor with a loud thud.


	4. Chapter 4

"Nick! Nick? Can you hear me?"

"Ca...r...rot...s...?"

"Shh, lay back. You hit your head pretty hard when you fell, so take it easy."

Nick's vision and hearing were fading in and out. Through his foggy vision, he caught glances of Judy, who was cradling his sore head in her lap. He heard her voice, but only caught pieces of it, as he also heard police radios, others talking, and the traffic outside. He felt his head throbbing with a dull ache, and he felt something stinging his chest, but he couldn't quite comprehend what was going on. Judy's voice reached his ears once more.

"Here, this is gonna sting a bit." For a few moments, Nick was left confused as to what Judy was talking about until the already stinging part of his chest suddenly shot with pain, as if a needle has just been pulled from his body. Nick let out a noise of discomfort, which he heard Judy lightly laugh at. "Shut up," the groggy fox mumbled. Judy let out another fit of giggles at his reply. "I see someone's making a rebound." Nick grudgingly pulled himself into a sitting position and rubbed at the sore spot on the back of his head. His vision almost completely clear, Nick took in his surroundings. They were sitting on the floor of the recently almost-successfully-robbed bank, with several animals moving around them. The street outside was filled with police cruisers and was roped off by caution tape. Several officers were escorting employees and customers out of the building, as well as taking their statements as to what they had witnessed. The four criminals were nowhere to be seen. Nick attempted to recount the events before his fall to the floor, but came up short.

"Carrots, what happened?"

"All of the badgers are on their way to the ZPD, all unharmed and in some serious trouble. No one was hurt… well, kind of. You hit your head pretty hard. I'm sorry, I honestly didn't expect you to fall that hard. An ambulance is on the way just to make sure you're okay. Try not to move too much."

"Carrots…?"

"Yes?"

"Did… did you _shoot_ me?"

"Uh, yeah, about that-"

"Hopps!" The Chief's booming voice quickly commandeered the environment, making Judy and Nick flinch in surprise. The two looked up to find a very flustered ox with four babies practically crawling all over him. "Find a babysitter next time or don't bother coming to work!" the ox snapped at the couple. The four children shrieked several different greetings before bombarding the bunny and the fox with crushing hugs as the Chief stormed away.

"Let's go home," Nick muttered as he attempted to stand. Judy immediately sat him down. "Oh, no. You're staying here until the paramedics can check you out."

"I'm fine, Rabbit, and we've got to get the kids home-"

"I can take the kids home. Think you can catch a ride?" Nick nodded in reply, his right paw still rubbing at the painful lump that was forming on the back of his head. Without another word, Judy planted a gentle kiss on Nick's forehead before gathering the children and loading them into the SUV.

Delgato, a fairly well built lion and good friend of Nick and Judy's, helped Nick stand up and slowly make his way over to the back of an ambulance, that pulled up just a few moments after Judy's departure. A couple of antelope paramedics fussed over Nick until they found no serious injuries. The fox was given an ice pack and medical clearance. Nick then caught a ride with officers Delgato and Grizzoli, who made jokes about Nick's injuries until they dropped him off at home.

The house was surprisingly quiet when Nick arrived home, but from the sight of the fading daylight, he assumed the kids would either be asleep or close to. Moving at a snail's pace, Nick made his way upstairs, peered into the dark room that belonged to the children, found all of the children peacefully snoozing, and then walked to the end of the hall into the master bedroom. Judy was seated comfortably on the plush king-size bed the two shared, paperwork surrounding her. She was wearing black sweatpants and a dark purple shirt that complimented her fur and eye color nicely. She looked up and smiled at the sight of a disheveled Nick. "Hey," she chortled.

"Hey. Paperwork for today?"

"Yeah, I picked it up on my way home. You were there for awhile, everything alright?"

"Just a headache, nothing serious." Nick sat the ice pack he had been cradling against the base of his skull down on their mahogany dresser with a small thump, and began unbuttoning his light green Hawaiian shirt. Judy stacked up her paperwork nicely and slid down from the bed. In just a few steps, she was in front of Nick, helping him slide the shirt off of his shoulders. The look on her face was enthusiastic while also serene, overall aroused.

"I missed you," she smiled sweetly.

"Okay, what's up with you?" Nick laughed as he carefully placed his paws on Judy's arms. "You _missed_ me? I was only gone for a couple of hours, and we were with each other all day."

"I know," Judy shrugged. "I just missed you. I was worried about you, you hit your head _really_ hard. It was like _boom_!" Judy used her paws to make an overly exaggerated smacking gesture. Nick chuckled at her adorable gestures, but his smile quickly vanished as a thought occurred to him.

"Speaking of which, did you shoot me today?"

"Oh, yeah," Judy blushed slightly with a small smile playing at her lips. "I did. Sorry."

" _Why_?" Judy giggled at Nick's incredulous tone. "That badger was going to shoot you, Nick! I had to do something."

"So you shot me?"

"Well, yeah, but it was just a tranquilizer dart."

"Why didn't you just shoot the badger?"

"He would have fired no matter what, so I took you out of the line of fire."

"That's wild, Carrots," Nick laughed. "I mean, that has to be one of the craziest things I've ever seen you do."

"Yeah, and let's not forget you making fun of my aim when you were the one missing targets."

"Hey, I had it under control."

"Oh, I'm sure," Judy scoffed with a roll of her eyes.

"I have to admit it, though; you're Bunny of the Year today. Found the kids a babysitter, handled a case, saved my life, brought the kids home all by yourself, put the kids to sleep, _and_ started the paperwork. That's hardcore."

"What can I say? I-"

"-don't know when to quit, yes, I know," Nick chuckled. "But seriously, Carrots. Thank you for saving me today." Nick leaned forward and planted a kiss on Judy's forehead.

"Sorry, what was that?"

"Don't push it, Carrots."

"No, really, I think there's something wrong with my hearing. What did you say?"

"Nothing is ever wrong with your hearing!" The couple broke down in laughter, arms around each other. Several minutes went by as the two tried to hush their laughter in attempt to keep from waking the kids, only to end up laughing harder than before. After the laughter quieted down, Nick sighed. "I missed this."

"Missed what?" Judy asked with her head slightly tilted to the side in curiosity.

"Missed the laughter, the fun, the craziness that is just the two of us. I love the kids and I love the life we've built here, I do, but I miss the old days."

"Like?"

"Like when I still lived in that rundown apartment and we'd order the same meals from the diner almost every other night. We'd stay up late watching movies on the couch and laughing at each other. Or how we used to grab coffee from that coffee shop that was just down the street, and we'd sometimes go in and sit in our favorite booth in the back and chat until we had to go to work." Nick smiled at his words, but the smile disappeared when he saw the look on Judy's face. "What's wrong?"

"Do you… do you regret having kids?"

"No! Carrots, of course not. I'm just reminiscing."

"I miss those days too. Miss the dangerous missions, miss the inside jokes, miss the pranks we used to pull on one another."

"Those were the good old days, but we have good days now too, you know."

"Yeah, I know," Judy smiled. Then, without warning, Judy's eyes lit up with excitement. "Oh, Nick! Do you still have the carrot pen?" Nick thought for a minute before replying with a smile. "Yeah, come here." Taking Judy's paw, Nick led her over to their walk-in closet. The couple then dropped to their knees as Nick began sifting through his side of the closet. "Nick, you really need to organize all of this."

"Here it is," Nick smirked as he pulled the now dulling in color carrot pen out of a box that was filled with old paperwork and worn out neck ties. "I stopped putting this in my shirt pocket awhile ago, can't remember why, though."

"I wonder if it still works."

"Let's find out." With that, Nick pressed the "play" button on the side of the pen. Judy's voice, clearly happy, as well as some background noise, filled the closet.

" _Yes_."

"'Yes?'" Nick asked as he looked over at Judy, who was beaming. "Oh, Nick, that's from when you proposed," she gushed as she rested her head against Nick's arm. At her words, Nick smiled. "I love you, Carrots."

"I love you too, Nick."

"This is going back in my shirt pocket, where it belongs."


	5. Chapter 5

"Give it!"

"Carrots!"

"Give me the phone, Nick!"

"What's the magic word?"

" _Ohhh_ , I am going to _kill_ you!"

"That's a phrase, not a wor– _oof_!" Nick doubled over from the pain that Judy's knee to the groin had just caused. His gasp, followed by his painful whimpering, reverberated off the walls. Triumphantly, Judy swooped down like a hawk and snatched her cell-phone from Nick's paw as he loosened his grip on the device. Ignoring a muttering Nick, who was using "evil" and "violent little rodent," as well as several other colorful words and phrases, Judy unlocked her phone and dialed the most recent number in her call log. The phone rang twice.

"Hi, Sarah?" Judy answered with a sickly-sweet voice and a large grin to match. "I was just calling to confirm about our meeting later this afternoon… Yes, sounds good… Two o'clock, yes… We're just thinking of discussing the general outline. Maybe decide on a venue among other things… Thank you… uh-huh… Bye."

Ending the call, Judy turned back to a fox who was on the floor pretending to gag and make a seen. Unable to succeed in keeping Judy from making the phone call, as well as taking a severe beating in the process, Nick easily ventured into over exaggeration and childishness. "Are you done?" Judy asked, her voice practically dripping with snake venom.

"That depends," Nick smirked. "Are you going to win a Grammy for that act you just put on?"

"Well, with my only acting competition being you, I'd say 'yes.'"

"That was cold-hearted, Rabbit."

"Oh, quit patronizing me! I'm just trying to be nice. She's our wedding planner, after all. That otter is basically running our whole wedding - making it happen! Don't you think she deserves a little kindness?"

"I think the hundreds of dollars we're paying her and the several more hundreds of dollars she'll convince us to spend is enough kindness, don't ya think?"

The look Nick received was clear evidence that the two did, in fact, not share the same idea. After several seconds of silence, Judy bit back once more.

"Look, we haven't exactly done things the right way, so I want to make sure that this is different."

Nick pulled himself off the polished lobby floor of the ZPD. He rubbed his chest slightly, as he was still sore from where Judy's tranquilizer dart had pierced him the day before, leaving nothing but sore muscle behind in its entrance and removal. The two stood near the door that led to the department's offices, which was just a few feet away from the bathrooms, as well as the male and females' locker rooms. Judy had stepped out of the offices to call their wedding planner to ensure their plans for the afternoon remained intact. Having talked with their wedding planner previously to arrange a rough outline of their ideas and thoughts, the couple had yet to truly sit down and have a proper meeting with their planner, Sarah, an otter who was rumored to be one of, if not the best, wedding planner in Zootopia. Nick, not wanting to meet with their wedding planner and much rather preferring an afternoon home alone with Judy, had followed the rabbit and intercepted the call easily.

Judy's wedding plans were nothing short of extravagant. She wanted a dress that fit her figure perfectly, while also billowing around her, with a little bit of lace and silver trim here and there. She wanted a big event with all of her and Nick's friends and family there. She wanted food that was so pleasing to the eyes and taste buds that people would be reminiscing over it for days after. She wanted Nick in a black tuxedo that featured a silver tie. She wanted her sons to match Nick and her daughter to match her. She wanted a cake that was big enough to feed everyone and was also unique for her wedding. She wanted only the best kind of music, the best kind of dancing, the best kind of champagne – the best kind of everything. Nick… well, he just wanted to get married.

"'Haven't done things the right way?'" Nick repeated back as a question, his eyes and tone showing some clear emotions. Judy quickly attempted to refrain.

"I'm just saying – well, you know!"

"I don't think I do."

"It's just that we kinda did things out of order." Judy shrugged. "We moved in before we were even a couple, had kids before we got married, bought a house and basically started living before we were even ready. Oh, and don't even get me started on the whole inter-species relationship aspect of this! Old Mrs. Boer down the street _still_ glares at us every time we play with the kids in the yard! I swear, that goat would drown me for marrying a predator if she had the chance."

Nick rolled his eyes with a small smirk at his wife's exasperated hand movements which accompanied her story.

"Yes, we all know she's a bit discriminatory – it's nothing we haven't seen before. Let's go back to the doing 'things out of order' conversation, shall we?"

"Well… what about it?" Judy sighed.

"What do you mean 'what about it?" – you're the one who brought it up! You just listed our whole life together as if it were all wrong."

"Oh, Nick, that's not what I meant. I'm just saying that we didn't do things the most conventional way."

"And that's a problem why? We aren't really known for doing things the conventional way, Carrots." Nick said with a slightly puzzled, slightly annoyed look. A playful conversation had quickly taken a steeper turn toward a much more serious topic.

"Oh, Nick, it isn't a problem! I just want to do this whole wedding thing right. If that means we need a wedding planner, then we need a wedding planner."

At this, Nick rolled his eyes once again and rested his paws on his waist. "We finally find a babysitter for the kids and we spend our free time with a wedding planner. Great," he remarked bitterly. This time, it was Judy who rolled her eyes.

"Chief Bogo doesn't count as a babysitter, Nick!" she shrieked. "He's only doing this for a few days while we look for a real babysitter, and we are not going to waste his time and patience by going home and screwing around rather than getting things done!" Judy cried, exasperated.

"Screwing around is fun, though," Nick whined.

"We can screw around _after_ we're married."

"Yes, because our four children aren't proof enough that marriage clearly hasn't dictated our se-"

" _Nick_!"

"Okay, okay. Geez. People are gonna start thinking you're my mom, Carrots, with the way you're always lecturing me."

"I couldn't live up to Mrs. Wilde's reputation," Judy chuckled as she and Nick began making their way back to the offices. Nick strode ahead of her and opened the door as he smirked. "Unfortunately, I think you already have."

The look he received wasn't exactly one of love.


	6. Chapter 6

It was late. That was Judy's first cognitive thought when she opened her eyes and only darkness met her. A blurry glance at her bedside clock showed that it was just a little past three in the morning. Blinking the sleep from her eyes, Judy sat up slowly, leaving the warmth of the mattress beneath her and the presence of Nick sleeping soundly next to her. Her eyes adjusting to the darkness, Judy saw that Nick was well over his side of the bed and on her side… _again_. Looking around, the house seemed oddly quiet and almost eerie. A chill crept over Judy, her brows furrowing as she felt the gears in her brain begin to turn again after hours of light dreaming.

This was odd. That was Judy's second cognitive thought. The house was quiet, not unusual, but a little _too_ quiet. The house was also much colder than it should have been, as if every door and window had been left open, letting in the cold night air. The oddest part about it all, though, was the fact that Judy was awake at such a late hour. It was common for her to sit up abruptly when she heard one of the children crying out or when Nick had a nightmare about being muzzled, all occasional occurrences in the Wilde Home, but as far as she could tell now, there was no immediate cause for concern, which in itself created concern.

Judy was so deep in thought over these strange events that when a large bang went off downstairs it jolted her violently.

"Nick," Judy whispered, shaking his left arm firmly but gently. It took more than one try to stir him slightly; he was a heavy sleeper.

"Wha's goin' on?" the fox slurred, his eyes fluttering open and shut.

"Nick, I think there's someone downstairs." Judy waited for his response, her heart hammering in her ears and her breath caught in her throat, but it never came. She looked down to see Nick fast asleep once more. Huffing impatiently, Judy closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"I can do this," she whispered to herself. "If there's someone downstairs, then this is stupid, but on the other hand, if there's no one down there, then _I_ ' _m_ just stupid." Judy opened her eyes and sighed once more as she quietly slid from the bed, opened her bedside table, and pulled her secondary tranquilizer gun from the depths of the drawer. "Either way, I can do this," she reassured herself as she checked the gun and its ammunition. Glancing back at Nick, Judy crept from the room in nothing but light pink athletic shorts and a black t-shirt that was just slightly too big on her. Taking each step slowly, her ears snapped to attention, Judy snuck from the bedroom she shared with Nick, quietly clicking the door shut behind her. She then took a few steps down the hall to the kids' room, peered in, and once she had seen nothing but her four soundlessly sleeping children, also clicked their door shut. Her heart still thumping louder than anything else, Judy eased her way to the top of the stairs, peering down onto the ground floor of the home, but seeing nothing in the dark. She didn't need to see anything, however, as small scuffling noises reached her sharp ears. Gun in front of her at the ready and full body at attention, Judy stepped lightly down the carpeted steps, eyes darting around the room. The first room to come into view was the living room to her immediate left, where the large glass sliding door located on the opposite wall that led to the massive fenced-in backyard was open, the gentle breeze lifting the white curtain covering the door now and then.

Anxiety quickly creeping over her chest like vines, Judy quickly noted that if the backdoor was open and everyone in the house was completely unaware of it, then the alarm system they had purchased had been disabled. The system her and Nick had invested in before anything else ensured that no wandering child would get outside without the two of them knowing. The alarm would beep once loudly if a window or door were ever opened, and if a door or window were ever broken into, then the alarm would sound without stalling. Here, the backdoor stood open ominously, no damage to the glass or the frame, yet no alarm had ever sounded to alert the residents of the door being opened. There was also the question of how the door could be open when it had been locked hours before, which Judy was sure of as she had been the one to lock it. With no alarm system for who knew how long, Judy instantly felt much more vulnerable. Without the system, alerting the authorities or calling for help would be manually left to someone in the house, and with only two animals being over the age of three, the odds weren't necessarily in the family's favor.

Shaking these thoughts from her head, Judy approached the open door, inspected the backyard, then slid the door shut and securely locked it before continuing her trek through the home, now making her way to the back of the house, where the kitchen was located with a side hallway leading to the garage. The digital clock on the oven read 3:52. In just a few hours, Nick's alarm would go off, setting them up for another day of dressing four toddlers, frantic working, and wedding planning with a wedding planner who was expecting them that afternoon. The kitchen was quiet and dark, with only a few lights located on the oven, the microwave, and the coffeemaker lighting small spaces of the countertops. The outline of a dark object on the floor near the island in the kitchen immediately caught Judy's eyes. With further investigation, Judy quickly discovered the object was a frying pan laying upside down on the tiled floor. The sound of the loud noise from earlier discovered, Judy glanced up at the rack above the island where she hung all of her cooking pots and pans.

She barely registered anything else before her senses kicked in and she whipped around, firing off a tranquilizer dart as she did so. The large, dark figure that stood before Judy was quick, moving just slightly to avoid the dart and grabbing her wrist roughly, throwing her off balance with ease. The dart pierced the brown cabinet on the far wall, missing the intended target completely, but before Judy could shoot for a second time, she was struck hard in the face, blood instantly pouring from her nose or lip – she couldn't tell which. Suddenly, a scruffy rag covered her mouth and nose, and a bulky arm wrapped around her small body, her gun falling from her grasp and sliding across the room. Struggling violently, Judy attempted to kick and hit her attacker, but to no avail. The attacker only held her tighter, her ability to breathe constricted by the grip. Practically tasting the chloroform from the rag as it entered her lungs with each struggled breath, Judy attempted to quickly kick the ground, making a loud enough noise for someone to hear. After only a couple of kicks to the floor, hard enough to make her joints sting, the attacker easily lifted Judy from the floor, her feet barely grazing the tile now and keeping her from her last chance of calling out.

Attempts at fighting back and being heard became more difficult as the seconds ticked by. Thoughts of her four children and their safety flooded Judy's brain. Hope that Nick heard her, somehow sensed her need, and was coming to the rescue, or currently calling for help, or scooping the children from their beds to keep them with him, overflowed her senses. Tears stinging her eyes, Judy could do nothing but hope that Nick would come save her once again.

With the comforting thought of being back in bed next to the warmth that Nick always provided, heavy shadows began to fall over Judy's eyes, her limbs became heavy, and the energy faded from her body.

Then, the world went dark.


	7. Chapter 7

Nick groaned at the blaring sound of his alarm going off at six o'clock sharp. His face buried in pillows, it took a few moments for Nick to convince himself that he did in fact need to get out of bed, a very difficult thing to accomplish. Complaining as he did so, the fox grumpily turned the alarm off, stood, and stretched. With a few yawns and a few slaps to his own muzzle, Nick managed to get himself into working order.

"Good morning, Carrots," Nick smirked as he turned to his wife-to-be, who was surely up and dressed already. His smirk disappeared at the sight of the empty bed. "Carrots?" Nick called out as he walked to the master bedroom's bathroom, which he also found empty. Judy's toothbrush was dry and neither the sink nor the shower had recently been used. Confusion etched into his facial features, Nick made his way through the bedroom, noting that Judy's police uniform was still hanging in the closet and that her badge was still resting on her bedside table. The drawer of her bedside table wasn't completely closed, which caught Nick's attention as it was odd for Judy to leave things open or out of place. Covering his bare chest with a t-shirt he swiped from the floor, Nick opened the drawer completely, immediately noting how organized it was. It took a moment before he realized what was missing.

"Judy?" Nick called loudly, becoming increasingly worried when the echo of his voice was the only answer. Moving at a faster pace now and investigating his surroundings, Nick left the bedroom and ventured down the hall, where he checked on the kids who were still fast asleep – Robin snoring louder than rush hour traffic – before he made his way down the stairs. All looked well, until Nick entered the kitchen, his feet falling on cold tile.

The sight of the room made his stomach turn.

Judy's tranquilizer gun was lying alone on the floor near several drops of blood, an overturned frying pan not far away. The only other out of place object in the room was a tranquilizer dart that stuck out awkwardly from one of the nearby cabinets.

"Judy!" Nick yelled out, quickly picking up the gun and cocking it, ready to take aim if necessary.

"Daddy?"

Nick wheeled around, gun in hand, only to find his four children all standing at the entrance of the kitchen looking ruffled and sleepy, Violet stepping forward as she began to speak again. "Daddy?"

All four of the children had slightly baffled expressions as they attempted to make sense of their surroundings.

"Hey, kiddos," Nick cooed. Quickly thinking and lowering the gun, Nick glanced at the scene around him once more before he ushered the children away from the kitchen with reassuring tones, then down the hall, and out onto the porch. Grabbing the car keys as they left the home, Nick placed all four children in their family SUV, where he buckled them all in safely, started the car, and put on one of the educational music CDs that Judy had purchased for the children a few months prior. The children occupied by the music and the toys they had a habit of leaving in the car, Nick left the driver's side door of the car open as he stood on the driveway's warming concrete in the morning sun. Phone in hand, it took mere seconds for the right animals to be notified. Within the hour, at least six ZPD vehicles, more than a dozen officers, and Chief Bogo himself were at the Wilde Home.

Once everyone had been informed of the situation and CSIs had begun investigation of the house, it took seconds for Nick to begin throwing out orders, something he didn't feel he needed permission for.

"You," he snapped at a nearby rhinoceros officer, who immediately stood at attention. "Take my keys and drive my kids to 304 South Phoenix Drive. It's a blue house with a huge garden out front, you can't miss it. It's my mother's house. Take three escorts with you – absolutely no less, you got it? I want officers posted outside of that house at _all times_. I want to know of anyone coming around that house and no one is to let my mother or my kids out of their line of sight until this is all figured out, you got that?"

The rhino nodded at Nick's strict voice, then took the SUV keys and immediately went to work, but Nick had already turned to another officer, this one a polar bear.

"And you, get two escorts and head to Bunnyburrow. I want officers at the Hopps Home at all times as well, but do not notify anyone there of what has happened, you hear me? You keep things low profile. I want reports on any suspicious activity. Go."

Following in the rhino's footsteps, the polar bear also took his orders and left. A very exhausted Nick then turned to a smirking Chief Bogo.

"That's one way to get the things you want."

"I need to know that they're safe," Nick muttered bitterly.

"I understand, Wilde, we're doing everything we can here–"

"Look, no offense, Chief, but don't give me that crap. I'm one of your highest-ranking officers, I don't need the talk we give to grieving girlfriends who think their boyfriends are missing when they're really just being unfaithful with their secretary. My wife is _missing_!" Nick bit back. At the look on the Chief's face, he amended part of his statement. "Wife-to-be, fiancée, whatever you want to call her – she is the mother of my children and the love of my life and my partner, so we aren't going to do 'everything we can here,' we are going to find her no matter what that takes!"

"I hear you, Wilde," the Chief growled. "Why don't we start with what happened? Start from the beginning, tell me everything."

"I already told you: I woke up this morning and Judy was gone."

"Believe it or not, I think I had figured that much out for myself."

"What else is there to tell you?" Nick snapped.

"You're an officer, Wilde! You need to tell me everything; don't leave out any details!" the Chief fired back hotly. The tension between them was thicker than any fog Nick had ever seen. With a sigh, Nick ran his paws over his face and ears, ruffling his fur in places.

"My alarm went off at six this morning. I got up and Judy wasn't in bed. I just thought she was already ready, you know? She usually has herself and the kids ready to go before I can even get out of bed," Nick smirked at the thought of how hurried Judy always was. The Chief nodded thoughtfully and urged him to continue.

"But something felt off and the house was too quiet. I checked the bathroom and nothing looked moved or out of place. I checked the closet and saw that her uniform was still there, her badge too. That's when I noticed that her bedside drawer was open. She never leaves it open, it's where she keeps her other gun."

"And the gun was missing?"

"Yeah, so then I _knew_ something was wrong. I checked on the kids, then went downstairs. Everything seemed fine until I got to the kitchen and saw the–saw the–"

"Saw the gun and the blood?"

Nick sighed and nodded his head, agitated. A ram was currently barricading the front door of the Wilde Home with bright yellow caution tape. Nick watched in a daze before he sighed once more. "I didn't hear a single thing all night, Chief. I can't believe that she was down there all by herself facing who knows what and I was just too busy sleeping."

"These things happen, Wilde. You can't expect to be there for her every moment of every day."

"I should have been there in that moment, though," Nick frowned. "Then, she would have been okay."

"Chief!"

Nick and Chief Bogo looked up to see a badger, sporting a black jacket with white letters spelling out "CSI" on the left breast, rushing toward them. The Chief straightened up at the sight of the badger. "What have you got, Palawan?"

"All evidence has been collected and is on its way back to the lab for further investigation," the badger stated, his voice deep with significance. "We confirmed that Officer Hopps was the one who fired the tranquilizer gun. Evidence shows she's the only one who came into contact with the gun, besides Officer Wilde." Suddenly, the badger's face fell slightly. "And there's one more thing, sir."

"Well, spit it out, Palawan," the Chief barked.

"The blood on the floor was confirmed to have come from a rabbit. We haven't identified if it's Officer Hopps' blood yet, but the chances are fairly high, sir."

Nick grit his teeth and ran a paw over his ears and down his neck once more. "Do you have any idea who did this, or how they got into our home?" Nick demanded. Palawan looked slightly taken aback, but remained still and calm.

"We don't know how just yet, but there are signs the security system was down for approximately an hour – from three to four in the morning. We believe someone broke into your home early this morning and that Officer Hopps went to investigate and found herself immediately overwhelmed. We still don't know exactly why the attacker was in your home, but if I had to guess, since there is nothing missing or disturbed in the home… I'm assuming the assailant was there for one of you – maybe Officer Hopps, maybe you, maybe a child – I'm still not certain. The attacker left behind no trace evidence, so we have yet to make an ID."

"So what I'm hearing is that you know absolutely nothing, am I right?" Nick growled. The badger attempted to stutter a response, but Nick dominated the conversation.

"Oh, no, wait, scratch that, you do _think_ one thing – you think that someone came into my home with the intention to take a member of my family. Now, tell me how that's reassuring!"

"Watch yourself, Wilde," the Chief threatened easily before he dismissed Palawan with a wave of his hoof. "Let's just take a deep breath and–"

"Oh, and now I've got Mr. Hot Head telling me to be calm! This is all just going astoundingly well!"

" _Wilde_! Must I remind you that you have a job to do and that I am your superior? Watch the way you speak to me! Take a deep breath and pull yourself together, fox! Hopps is one of my best officers; the ZPD is her family as much as you are, and we're all going to do our best until she's located and returned home safely. Until then, she is the ZPD's number one priority, do you understand me?" Under the glare of the cape buffalo, Nick nodded calmly, considering the words he had just heard.

"Good," the cape buffalo snorted. "because you aren't allowed anywhere near this case."

" _What_?" Nick shot back indignantly. "Chief, you can't take me off of this case!"

"You're too close to this, Wilde."

"That has never stopped us before! She's my partner!"

"She's also your girlfriend, which is a conflict of interest! You're off the case, and that's final!" The Chief held up a hoof and silenced a fired-up Nick before walking away. Nick stared off after the cape buffalo as he strode away down the driveway, giving orders to passing officers as he went. Ears pressed firmly to his head, Nick could do nothing but stand there, wondering what he was supposed to do next.

"Where are you, Carrots?" he thought aloud, muttering under his breath. "Please, just be safe."


	8. Chapter 8

"Get up, rabbit."

A wave of ice water washed over Judy, soaking her night clothes and her fur, forcing her into consciousness. She sputtered and coughed, shaking the water from her face. Her vision blurry, it was hard to make out her surroundings. She sat in an old wooden chair, her arms and legs tied to the chair accordingly with multiple zip ties that bit into her skin. A bright light above her illuminated a small circle around the chair, revealing the floor below her to be concrete a depressing color of grey. The rest of the room was dark, and Judy couldn't make out any identifying details to her location, but she could make out the figure that stood in front of her.

A female red fox stood before her, her paws on her hips and her head slightly tilted in curiosity. Dressed in a dark grey t-shirt that was tucked into navy-blue jeans, the fox's curves were immediately noticeable and clearly seductive. Her light blue eyes were sharp, focused on Judy's every movement. A smirk on her face, the fox let out a laugh that sounded like pure danger.

"Good morning, Sweetie," she purred in a silky voice.

"Valerie," Judy sighed sarcastically. "it's so good to see you again."

"Likewise," the fox smiled. "I've waited a long time for this, Darling."

Judy inhaled slowly, feeling calm and almost secure. She relaxed her muscles and stared the fox down with a deadly glare. Valerie, an ex-girlfriend and ex-partner of Nick's, didn't exactly pose a major threat to Judy. The last time Judy and Valerie had interacted, it had been almost three years prior, when Judy had been just about three months pregnant and her and Nick were still living in his first apartment. Long before Judy came into the picture, Valerie had been a scam artist with Nick for quite some time. The two had dated, a hot and heavy relationship for both of them, but Valerie proved she couldn't be trusted, lying to Nick and scamming him in the end – a story Judy still didn't know completely as it was a touchy subject for Nick. The two parted ways, resulting in Nick's scamming relationship with Finnick, a fennec fox and now long-term friend of Nick and Judy's. The rest was history – Judy and Nick met, saved the predator population, became partners, lived through a number of traumas, began living together, had children, and purchased a home together. However, Valerie had come back into the picture a few months after Judy and Nick had discovered they were expecting children. Valerie had been working for the ZPD for only a few months and was nothing more than a low-level officer, but when Judy was placed on desk-duty due to her progressing pregnancy for safety concerns, Nick was assigned a new field partner – Valerie. Valerie's reappearance drove a wedge between an anxious Nick and an emotional Judy, all while fueling her own ego. Judy and Nick's fighting that used her to play sides eventually resulted in Valerie quitting her short-lived career, thus bringing a quick and violent feud to an abrupt end. The couple hadn't heard anything of Valerie in years, and never gave her much of a second thought.

"I'm impressed, Valerie. I didn't think you were strong enough to kidnap me," Judy scoffed.

"Oh, I didn't," Valerie grinned. "He did."

A paw displaying sharp claws gripped Judy's throat from behind, causing her to gasp out for air in surprise. A low growl reached Judy's ears as the grip around her throat tightened.

"This is Culpeo. We'll call him an assistant of mine." The purr with which Valerie stated "assistant" clearly showed that he was much more than that. Culpeo's grip on Judy loosened and he stepped out from behind the chair and into his rightful place next to Valerie. Culpeo was a fox of light sand color with distinct scars that marked his arms, neck, and face as if he had spent his whole life fighting. He looked reckless and vicious, a true force to be reckoned with. It was clear that this was the animal responsible for Judy's disappearance and bloodied face, which still stung.

"Without him, none of this would be possible," Valerie beamed.

"And what exactly would 'this' be?" Judy asked.

"Revenge," Valerie hissed vehemently, startling Judy slightly. "and a method to tie up loose ends." Valerie glanced at Culpeo and nodded, at which Culpeo growled delightedly. Within seconds, he was in Judy's personal space. Without hesitation, he drew his claws, and slowly dug into Judy's right cheek, leaving long gashes across her face as he did so. Judy shrieked and attempted to pull back, but with no success. It wasn't until she could feel the blood trickling down her face that Culpeo retreated back to Valerie, who looked smugly satisfied.

"What do you want from me?" Judy gasped, choking back a sob.

"I want to hear you beg for your life," Valerie growled, as Culpeo began to circle Judy like a predator ready to finish its prey.

"You don't have to do this," Judy whimpered.

"Oh, I know, but _I want to_. All of this work will pay off when I get to see the look on that fox's face after he sees what I've done to you, Darling."

"Please, don't hurt him."

"How valiant of you, little bunny!" Culpeo mocked, confidence dripping from every word. "But we don't even have to touch him to inflict the amount of pain we wish to, we just need you, and once I'm done with you… well, let's just say you won't have to see his pain for very long, if you do at all." Culpeo's threats sent shivers through Judy's small body.

"It's a shame, though," Valerie chimed in. "I must admit; I hate to leave four children without a mother and nothing but a shell of a father."

Judy let out as a sob and looked away, trying to maintain her feelings at an even level as much as possible, but the mention of her children left a gaping hole in her chest.

"Oh, did I hit a soft spot, Sweetie?" the vixen jeered. "I'm merely preparing you for the inevitable."

"Very noble of you," Judy shot back, but Valerie only smiled and Culpeo continued to laugh and circle her.

"You have a lot of fight in you, and I admire that, but the ability to fight only gets one so far," Valerie jeered.

With a snarl, the male fox struck again, slashing at Judy with deadly claws. Judy's shriek filled the room and fresh blood soaked her shirt on her left side, just above her hip. Her vision blurred with the pain, but she forced herself to remain conscious and face the situation once more.

"Judy, Darling, we're just getting started. I've waited years for this. I've watched your every move – watched you buy that ugly home of yours, watched you bring those abominations you call children into this world, I even watched Nicky drop down on one knee and pop the question." With each insult, Valerie made her way closer to Judy until she had rested her paws on the arms of the chair and was only inches from Judy's face.

"You know," she drawled. "I still don't understand what he sees in you – a weak, frail bunny. You're just prey, nothing more, and when I'm finished, Nick will finally realize that. He'll finally understand that he should be marrying someone powerful and intimidating, someone who can _provide_ for him." The vixen swung her tail seductively, a smile forming on her lips.

"I think Nick is already doing that," Judy spat back.

"Oh, really? Do you think Nick is already on his way to save his damsel in distress, to be your knight in shining armor? Then, what? After he saves you, he's going to sweep you off your feet, marry you, and you two are going to live happily ever after?"

Judy only glared back in response, biting her tongue from spitting out all of the colorful things she really wanted to say. Valerie only continued to smile slyly, her expression angering every inch of Judy. Valerie leaned in closer until her muzzle was only centimeters from Judy's left ear.

"See, Sweetie, I don't think so. You want to know why?"

Judy grit her teeth and closed her eyes, struggling against her restraints as Valerie let out a laugh of pure silk.

"It's because he's not as loyal as you thought."

Judy's eyes flew open, and she continued to grit her teeth until her jaw ached. Valerie pulled back slightly to look into Judy's eyes once more.

"Oh, did he not tell you? That's _too_ good!" the female laughed as she threw a seductive glance in Culpeo's direction, who stood silently nearby, ready to strike when ordered.

"Judy, Honey, he's been screwing me since the last time I saw you."

Her words hit Judy like a bullet to the heart. Judy wanted to scream at her, to call her a desperate liar, but she remained as still as stone. However, Valerie didn't need a reaction to satisfy her, she knew the damage had been done. Valerie then stepped away and sauntered out of the only light part of the room. "She's all yours," the vixen called to Culpeo as she swayed out of sight.

Judy barely had time to flinch as Culpeo descended upon her.


	9. Chapter 9

"Nicholas, just take a moment and breathe. Yelling isn't going to get anyone anywhere."

Nick was on his umpteenth pace across the same fifteen feet of carpet in Mrs. Wilde's cozy living room. Mrs. Wilde sat comfortably on her creaky, patched couch, a periwinkle dress flowing around her figure and little Alan perched in her lap, immersed in the latest edition of _Medieval Scandinavia: An Encyclopedia_ – he couldn't read just yet, but he certainly enjoyed the pictures and seemed to understand the majority of the book. Robin and Red were nearby, screaming gleefully about "piwates" as they chased each other about with foam swords Mrs. Wilde had gotten them last Christmas. Violet merely sat idly by on the floor, watching Nick pace and rant, her eyes wide and attentive.

It had been weeks – three weeks to be exact – since Judy had disappeared. With no immediate threats, the escorts had been removed from Bunnyburrow and Mrs. Wilde's home a few days prior, and Nick had returned home with the kids. It was a cold Saturday afternoon in early December, snow swirling just outside the frosted windows. Nick had been working less and less over the last few weeks due to the fact that he and his mother were the only ones watching the children, and because he was allowed to do less and less to help as the ZPD's attention remained on the priority of finding Judy. Nick had already pushed his luck several times, resulting in more than a few lectures from the Chief who threatened more than just suspension. With nothing else to do, Nick surprisingly kept wedding planning on the table. He had postponed a few things for Judy, but had attempted to make decisions where he could so that at least some progress was made. He had decided on the flowers, the design of the cake, and the champagne choice – all things that Judy had decided beforehand but never had stated to their wedding planner. It certainly wasn't easy, but he knew it was helping him cope in some senses.

"All I'm saying is that they should have been making some progress by now! What are they even doing?" Nick scoffed, continuing his pacing.

"Nicholas, they're doing everything they can."

"As if I haven't heard that a dozen times already."

Mrs. Wilde shot Nick a dirty look at his rude remark, but Nick only shook his head in response.

"Daddy?"

Nick immediately stopped pacing and looked down at his only daughter.

"Yes, Baby?"

"Whewe Mommy?"

Nick leaned over and scooped up the tiny rabbit, cuddling her in his arms.

"I don't know, Baby, but she'll be home soon, okay?"

He bombarded the baby with several kisses to her face and arms, making her giggle. Nick smiled back at the cheerful child, holding her closer as he turned back to his mother to say one more thing. The sound of glass shattering made both Nick and his mother look up abruptly. "Red, Robin, what did I say about being careful?" Nick asked the two children sternly.

"He did it!" the two screeched in unison as they pointed at one another, at which Nick only chuckled.

"Just come over here and stay away from whatever you just broke."

The two children obeyed, coming into the living room where they were in full view before they continued their game of swash-buckling pirates. Mrs. Wilde only watched in amusement, slightly readjusting herself with Alan. Nick glanced at the small fox, who was still absorbed by his book.

Nick had struggled to maintain the children in Judy's absence and had struggled even more any time they wondered where she was aloud, but he had managed. His relationship with Alan, however, was only growing more and more distant with each passing day. Alan had always been an extremely intelligent child, but also very quiet, almost socially anxious. There was something about Judy's smile that brought Alan out of his shell, but Nick didn't have that something, and Alan had been extremely quiet and cold for several weeks. It was clear that Judy's disappearance was weighing on him the most, and Nick had no way to comfort him. The closest thing to Judy Nick could find in order to comfort Alan was Mrs. Wilde, but even then, it was clear she didn't provide the same sense of security, though she tried.

"Alan?" Nick called softly. The light grey fox looked up, his green eyes meeting Nick's. "Can I get you anything, Buddy?"

The fox only shook his head and turned back to his reading. With a small sigh, Nick turned back to his mother once more as he sat Violet on his left hip, still cradling her close to his body.

"Judy's parents are coming in tomorrow to stay with us for a little while. That should give me a chance to work a little more and give you a bit of a break from all of this," he said as he gestured to the children.

After Judy had been missing for several days, Nick had made a trip to Bunnyburrow and informed Judy's family of the situation. It went about as poorly as he had expected, with the whole family taking it hard, and at one point, Judy's mother even somewhat accusing Nick in her anger. Nick had brushed it off, though, and comforted the family. After all, they deserved to be angry – it had taken Nick days to work up the courage to tell them that one of their eldest daughters was missing, and even when he did, he had no answers for any of their questions. In return, the family offered to be of assistance when they could, to which Nick was grateful for.

"I don't ever need a break from my grandchildren," Mrs. Wilde smiled. "I'm happy to help where I'm needed."

"Thanks, Mom."

"They'll find her, Nicholas. She'll be home soon."

"I hope so."

After a few more hours at Mrs. Wilde's home, Nick loaded the children into the SUV and drove them home. Once home, he fed them dinner – homemade chicken soup with crackers; extra chicken for Red and no chicken for Violet – and then set them all up in the master bedroom with a movie. Gradually, Nick had moved all of the children – and Violet's favorite stuffed bunny, Holland – into the master bedroom with him to fill the empty space. The children didn't seem to mind, and in fact, quite enjoyed sleeping with Daddy on the king size bed. About an hour later, before the movie was even halfway over, all four children were sleeping soundly. Clicking off the television and leaving a lamp on as a nightlight, Nick snuck down to the kitchen to clean up, shutting the bedroom door behind him.

Doing dishes wasn't Nick's favorite chore, but with a little music and some terrible dancing, Nick found that he was actually enjoying himself as the kitchen returned back to its former glory. He tried to not think of Judy during this time, tried to focus on small tasks that he knew he had power over. It did help for some time, as Nick found that for the first time in a while, he didn't feel downright exhausted or helpless.

Just as he was finishing up, his cell-phone vibrated in his pocket. In response, Nick quickly dried his paws with a dish rag and scrambled to extract his phone from the pocket of his khaki pants. The phone continued to buzz, an unknown number dominating the glowing screen. Curiosity getting the best of him, Nick swiped to accept the call.

"This is Wilde."

"Nick?"

The voice over the phone was small and broken, barely audible – yet filled with desperation – and it caught Nick completely off guard; he almost dropped his phone right into the sink filled with soapy water that sat before him. It had been weeks since he had heard that voice, the voice that he associated with nothing but happiness. Now, the voice sent sharp shivers up his spine.

"Carrots?"


	10. Chapter 10

"Carrots?"

"Nick," Judy sighed in relief. "I didn't think you'd pick up." Nick immediately noticed her voice sounded off. It was much weaker than Judy's usually commandeering voice, but there was also a thickness to it, as if she were sick or even losing her voice altogether. It continued to shake Nick to the core. What had happened to her?

"Judy, tell me where you are." Nick put the call on speaker, and immediately went to work pulling up Chief Bogo's cell-phone number. He quickly texted the unknown caller's number to the Chief, along with a quick message asking for a location on the number as soon as possible.

"I-I can't tell you, Nick."

"Okay, do you know where you are?" As he spoke, Nick placed a call to the Chief's desk line, hoping the cape buffalo was still miraculously in the office. He then put that number on mute as he did so, and waited until he saw that the two calls were connected. A response message from the Chief's personal number a moment later proved that the call was currently being traced and recorded from the Chief's office at the ZPD.

"No. I don't have long to talk, Nick."

Relieved that the work was done and that the Chief apparently never went home, Nick put the phone back to his ear, focusing on Judy's voice.

"Tell me what you see, Carrots. Try to help me find you."

"I can't."

Nick's brows furrowed. "Are you alone?"

"N-no." Judy's voice shook, nearing a sob. Nick swallowed hard, letting the anger rise in his body like bile.

"Who's there with you?"

"I-I can't say. Nick, I have a message for you," Judy inhaled deeply over the phone, hesitation clear.

"Carrots, help me out here, give me something. I know you can give me something."

"There's an abandoned warehouse in Tundratown, on Sleet Drive. There's something there for you."

"Okay, I'll be there, Judy, I'll be there."

Judy took another sharp yet shaky breath over the phone, and then rushed into her next sentence as fast as possible.

"It's her, Nick," she cried quickly. "It's Valerie, she's trying to get to you, Nick, it's Valer–"

A loud growl sounded over the speaker into Nick's ear, then a sharp cry of pain that could only have come from Judy.

"Carrots?"

With that, the call disconnected. Nick stood in stunned silence for what felt like an eternity.

How was this possible? How was any of this even remotely possible?

Pulling himself together, Nick unmuted the call connected to the Chief's desk line.

"Wilde? You there, Wilde?"

"I'm going to that warehouse. I don't care who you send with me, or even if you send anyone at all, but I'm going." Nick's voice was barely above a whisper, but it stood firm. The Chief stayed quiet for quite some time before his gruff voice came over the speaker once more.

"Done. I'll meet you there."

Seconds later, Nick was hurriedly pounding on the front door of a small auburn-colored house just down the street from the Wilde Home. A very bewildered elderly goat opened the door in a fluffed white robe.

"Mrs. Boer," Nick began in stressed tones. "I understand you don't agree with my inter-species family, or whatever you want to call it, but I have a work emergency and I have four sleeping children at home and nowhere to take them in the short amount of time I have. I will pay you whatever amount you wish – hell, we'll even move out of the neighborhood if that's what you want – but I'm begging you to come to my home and watch my kids for an hour – tops! Then, I will never bother you again."

Mrs. Boer stood in utter shock, her mouth slightly ajar and sleep still stinging her eyes. Then, after a few moments of stunned silence in which she only stared absentmindedly at a very ruffled fox, she glanced down the street toward the Wilde Home before she wrapped her robe more firmly around herself.

"This work emergency – does it have to do with your missing wife?" The old goat's voice was soft, almost caring. The way she said "wife" wasn't mocking or discriminatory, but rather deeply involved, as if she knew Judy personally. This took Nick aback somewhat.

"Yes," Nick breathed, feeling a breakdown nearing him. "I didn't know you knew."

"I do not know if I agree with your decisions, Mr. Wilde, but I do know that there isn't a day that goes by where I don't miss my late husband," the goat sighed, weariness showing in her features. "If he were missing, I'd be standing in your exact place. Show me to the children, do not worry about fees."

Exactly six minutes later, after a heaping amount of "thank you"s for a surprisingly pleasant Mrs. Boer, Nick was running red lights and stop signs in his SUV, police sirens wailing. It was nearing two in the morning, and besides Nick's crashing rampage through Tundratown, all was quiet on such a frigid night. When he reached the warehouse in question, the wheels on the SUV came to a screeching stop, leaving the smell of burning rubber in their wake. Several ZPD vehicles were already parked outside of the entrance, blaring red and blue lights on, and officers perched with guns in paws. The Chief stood waiting just on the side of the snow-covered street, a bullet-proof vest strapped across his large chest. Nick, leaving the driver's side door open, jumped out of the SUV, gun already pulled. Pushing past the Chief and the bullet-proof vest his hoof offered, Nick quickly made his way up to the entrance of the warehouse. Before he entered, he glanced back, noting the Chief following close behind as back up and the several other officers all watching with trained eyes and guns.

"Let's do this," he grunted to himself. Then, with one swift motion, Nick kicked in the large industrial doors with a loud bang.

Nick, the Chief, and approximately six officers swept the building in seconds. The warehouse was dark and empty with the exception of a wooden chair illuminated by a single bright light bulb near the center of the room. The room was deemed clear of all threats, and with lowered guns, the officers moved closer to investigate the center of the room with Nick at the forefront of the group.

The scene came into view and Nick's stomach turned at the sight.

The chair, and the floor around it, was covered in smears of dark blood – some old, some fresh. Several clipped opaque zip ties littered the floor, traces of blood staining the white. The scene was something straight out of a horror movie, straight out of Nick's worst nightmares. The amount of blood in such a small amount of space sunk Nick's heart as he realized that DNA tests would only confirm that every drop spilled belonged to Judy and no one else. This is where Judy had been for weeks, suffering through who knows what Valerie had put her through. At the thought of Valerie, Nick felt a growl rack his chest. It was because of her that Judy wasn't at home in a warm bed, cuddling her children. It was because of her that Judy was missing at least an ounce of blood, if not more – at least one-fourth of her total blood volume. It was because of her that Judy was still missing, and that Nick was still left with nowhere to turn.

As Nick came closer, trying to keep his breathing even through his rising anger, a glimmer on the chair caught his eye, distracting him momentarily. In the center of the chair sat an eye-catching object that Nick was all too well acquainted with: Judy's engagement ring, the diamonds and band dirtied with blood.


	11. Chapter 11

" _Gah_!"

"Would you stop your screaming? You're so _loud_."

Judy took a deep breath and looked into the sandy fox's eyes.

"Screw… you…" she muttered. The fox only laughed, his teeth sparkling a deadly white a little too close for comfort.

"That's enough, Culpeo. I think you've done enough work with your claws for one day," Valerie purred from a nearby armchair she was comfortably draped over, her tail swishing the floor lazily.

The male fox immediately backed off at the command and perched on a nearby oak desk, leaving Judy to attempt to evaluate his latest work: several long gashes on her left side from just beneath her chin to the base of her neck.

"Don't worry about all of the blood, we'll clean it up," Valerie smirked as she watched the rabbit turn her attention from the wounds to the vixen.

"I'll try not to," the rabbit grumbled. As horrific as it sounded, Judy had never been one to be deterred or sickened at the sight of blood, not even her own blood. She was an officer, after all, and had aided injured animals, aided an injured Nick, and even aided herself on more than one occasion. She had lost a lot of blood, she could tell from her seemingly permanent exhaustive state, but she still wasn't panicked at the site of her own wounds or the mess Culpeo left with each inflicted injury. She was also near starving and surely dehydrated, but that didn't panic her either. She knew Nick was coming – it was only a matter of time – and she just needed to hang on long enough. Valerie seemed to pick up on this thought process with ease.

"You seem oddly calm," she drawled. She sat with a nail file in paw, sharpening her own gleaming claws.

It had been approximately a week since the three had switched addresses from the warehouse to their current location, a week since Judy had spoken to Nick on the phone. She hoped he was okay, that he wasn't letting all of this affect him more than it should and that he would trust Judy's actions, but she knew that he probably wasn't handling the situation well, especially with the kids to look after all by himself. The thought of him alone and constantly looking for her pained Judy more than anything Valerie ordered Culpeo to do. Judy spared a glance at her now bare paw, her glittering engagement ring no longer present. Her heart ached at the sight, but she couldn't let those emotions show, as it would only fuel Valerie's ego further; if Valerie thought taking the ring meant she was breaking apart Judy and Nick, then Judy was going to prove just the opposite, so she had to pretend as if the ring were just another cheap piece of jewelry.

Judy still had no idea of her current location, but it was apparent that the new hideout was an office building, and an old one by the looks of it. There were several open windows, though, so Judy could actually see quite a bit during the day. They were in a small office located on a higher floor of the building, nothing but wispy clouds outside when the day was sunny. At some point during the day, possibly around noon, Judy could even make out the sound of what she thought was rush hour traffic in the streets below. If she had to take a guess, Judy would say they were somewhere in the outskirts of Downtown Zootopia where a lot of older office buildings had been left behind and forgotten as businesses grew to greater heights and began to converge at the center of the city. This was good, she thought, then her and Nick – and the ZPD, for that matter – were much closer together now.

"I've been through worse," Judy shrugged as she glanced out a nearby window. "I've had my throat practically ripped out, been attacked by animals five times my size, given birth to four kids." Judy paused to chuckle quietly at her own words. "Do your worst. Personally, the only thing awful about this situation is listening to you constantly talk."

Valerie looked up, disgust in her eyes, to which Judy met with an equally disdainful look. From across the room, Culpeo growled, but both the bunny and the vixen ignored him, their eyes trained on one another.

"You think you're funny," the female fox hissed, her voice dropping a few octaves in an attempt at intimidation.

"No, but Nick thinks I'm funny." Another chuckle, this time a little louder, a bold confidence growing. Judy found that she was actually beginning to enjoy herself; if Valerie wanted a fight, she was going to get one.

"Apparently not, if he's so preoccupied with me," Valerie stated with a raised chin. Judy only rolled her eyes.

"Oh, here we go again. 'Nicky's obsessed with _me_ , Sweetie,'" Judy imitated in a sickly sweet voice. Valerie's eyes narrowed, and her fur raised on its ends in response.

"Watch it, bunny."

"Please," Judy scoffed. "Nick is a father of four, he barely has time to sleep anymore, much less sneak off to be with a snake like you. Try another taunt, because that one's not working."

Before Judy had even realized what had happened, she was on the floor facing the ceiling, still tied to a plastic office chair. The rabbit coughed slightly, as the force of falling backwards had knocked the air from her lungs. Valerie stood over her, huffing angrily.

"You think you're better than me?" the fox hissed. "You think you're better than me because you have a nice job, a fancy house, a family, and a predator to save your skin whenever you bite off more than you can chew?"

"Yes, I really do," Judy breathed. "I think you're nothing, _Val_ , and I think you know that too. That's why you've got me tied up and hired some fox to beat me up when it amuses you. I think you're living in the past, and I think you need to get over yourself."

Judy didn't even flinch when Valerie lunged forward with a startlingly low growl, her freshly sharpened claws flying to grip Judy's throat; Judy only continued to stare the fox down.

"You took everything from me!" Valerie screeched.

"No, I didn't," Judy snapped back. "You took everything from yourself! You knew what you were doing when you scammed Nick, and you knew what you were doing when you wedged your way into our relationship and then quit the one job that was working out in your favor. Now, you're doing it all over again, but this time, you have absolutely nothing to lose."

"But you have everything to lose." With each word, Judy felt Valerie's grip on her throat tighten slightly.

"My job, my family – they aren't going anywhere. I've got time to spare, Valerie, the question is when are you going to learn you're not winning here?"

"Don't piss me off, Judy, I _will_ kill you!"

"No, you won't. You're waiting for Nick to see me all bloody before you do anything fatal. That's the end game, right? Take me from my home, smack me around, then show Nick the damage? Even then, I doubt you have it in you to kill me. After all, you didn't have it in you to kidnap me or hit me, so what makes you think you can kill me?"

"You think Culpeo's here just to watch, Darling? He'll kill you the second I tell him to!"

"So that's how this is going to go? Valerie, I'm usually not one to threaten with violence, but the moment I'm untied, you're going to wish you hadn't gotten yourself into this."

"What's a little bunny gonna do to a big bad fox?" the vixen laughed, her voice reaching normal pitch as she did so.

"Wow, I knew you were dumb, but I didn't know I was going to have to spell everything out for you."

That did it.

Valerie pulled a loaded gun from the waistband of her jeans and aimed. Judy, practically staring down the barrel of the gun, remained completely still. Valerie watched and waited for a reaction, for Judy to break down into tears or beg for her life, but when neither one came, she growled loudly and fired the gun twice into the ceiling above. Plaster rained down on the two, and Judy sighed internally, slightly worried she had pushed Valerie further than the fox would allow.

"Culpeo," the vixen called angrily. "Get the phone and text Nicky the address. I'll get the rabbit. We're ending this now."


	12. Chapter 12

"Does the Miranda warning say something about me killing her?"

"No, Wilde, it doesn't."

"You sure? Nothing like, 'you have the right to remain silent or I will shoot you with my gun. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a violent method of retaliation –'"

" _No_ , Wilde," the Chief growled.

At this, Nick actually found himself snickering. He was finally going to finish this and take Judy home, which made him feel overjoyed, even deadly. The two were standing outside the abandoned office building on 34th Street in Downtown Zootopia, the address of which Nick received a little under an hour ago from the same unknown number. It was still early in the day, the sun shining bright just before noon, a cold breeze in the air. Nick stood loading and reloading his gun – this one lethal with actual bullets, not a tranquilizer dart in sight. In fact, there wasn't a tranquilizer gun in anyone's paws or holsters as Nick glanced around at the ZPD's strongest officers; Chief Bogo had really spared no expense on this mission. Each and every animal standing outside of that building was heavily armed with not only lethal ammunition, but also a strong bond with and respect for the rabbit they were here to take home. Nick couldn't help but grin at that thought.

"Alright, circle up!" the Chief called as he laid out a blueprint of the building on the hood of his vehicle. "Delgato, Johnson, Snarlov, McHorn: take the east entrance. Wolfard, Fangmeyer, Pennington, Grizzoli: take the back. Rhinowitz, Jackson, Oates, Charles: stay here and cover base if anything goes wrong. The rest of us will take the main entrance. Stay close to each other, and no mistakes here today. Wilde, don't do anything stupid and I'll let you lead with me – oh, and Wilde?"

"Yes, Chief?"

"When we get Hopps, let's try to keep her out of trouble for good, shall we? I think this one's been through enough. I'm not trying to lose my best officer any time soon."

"Yes, sir," Nick chuckled.

"You got the ring, Wilde?" Officer Wolfard, a timber wolf and good friend of Nick and Judy's, asked. In response, a smirking Nick patted the left breast of his bullet-proof vest, where Judy's engagement room sat nestled in his button-up Hawaiian shirt's pocket just beneath the vest.

"Good, you get that on her and marry her before she gets kidnapped again, yeah?" Wolfard chortled as he clapped Nick on the shoulder and all of the nearby officers joined in laughing.

"Sounds like a plan to me," Nick laughed.

"Let's move!" the Chief called out.

At the command, the massive group split into their sections and began progressing toward their assigned locations. Chief Bogo and Nick led Team A, which entered the building through the main entrance, Delgato led Team B on the east side, Wolfard led Team C through the back, and Rhinowitz remained at base with Team D. The entire operation wasn't expected to take more than twenty to thirty minutes, even if there was an emergency. An ambulance and paramedics were on standby with Team D mainly for Judy, but also for the off-chance someone was injured. There were three main parts to the operation: infiltrate the building in a manner as low-profile as possible, take the suspect – Valerie – into custody or either take down by force, and extract the target – Judy. The building in question was large, but Nick had a feeling it wouldn't take long to find who they were looking for, as Valerie had invited them, and he knew she loved a good show.

Since Judy had identified that their main suspect was Valerie, the ZPD had done quite a bit of digging into her personality and her past, which involved Nick in more ways than one. Though there were some somewhat awkward words exchanged between Nick and the Chief, Nick disclosed everything he knew about the vixen. However, since Valerie had worked in the ZPD (something which the Chief did attempt to apologize for), there was no telling how much the fox knew about the department and its employees, even if she had only worked as a low-level officer for a couple of months. The officers could potentially be walking into a very bad situation, but Nick remained firm on the fact the officers easily outnumbered Valerie, no matter what she knew.

Nick was the first one to reach the glass revolving doors of the building, the Chief and the rest of Team A just on his heels. They went in pairs through the doors, and began to spread across the lobby on the first floor. They didn't need to go far, though.

"I think that's far enough," Valerie called in a fruity voice as she stepped out carefully from a nearby hallway, which Nick believed led to one of the building's many staircases.

" _Freeze_!" Nick, the Chief, and a few other officers immediately hollered, as they quickly took aim at the moving fox. The vixen only smiled as she pushed a small figure in front of her path. Judy stumbled forward, struggling to walk upright, a bad limp crippling her momentarily. The officers hesitated, refusing to fire with Judy in the way. Valerie kept a firm grasp on the rabbit's right arm and a gun aimed at her head until the two made it to the center of the lobby.

"Kneel," Valerie commanded as she shoved Judy to the linoleum ground, gun still threatening her. Every officer was focused on the threat in the room, but Nick had his eyes somewhere else.

There she was.

First, relief flooded Nick's body and mind at the sight of the figure who sat slumped on the aged floor, but it was quickly replaced by an intense wave of nausea at the sight of the bunny's condition. There were large rips in her black t-shirt, blood staining her pink athletic shorts and matting her fur, and in some places, the red was so dark that it was nearly impossible to make out Judy's light grey fur through the black. She looked broken, bloody, and bruised, but she still managed to sit with an unwavering strength.

Nick couldn't put the happiness he felt into words; the sight of Judy alive was overwhelming, but he also felt his anger rising once more, threatening to spill over like a boiling kettle left unattended. Both foxes looked up and made direct eye contact; it was clear Valerie was enjoying every second of the ordeal.

"You can come on out, I'm not gonna bite," Valerie called loudly, her words honeyed. From a hallway off to the right, Team B emerged with a hesitant Delgato at the head. A few seconds later, Team C appeared from a third hallway just off to the side of the lobby, hidden by designer pillars made of marble that had crumbled with the passing years. With every officer's eyes and gun trained on Valerie, she finally had the attention she wanted and her leer showed it.

Nick holstered his gun and took a single step forward. "Put down the gun," he called, his voice echoing off of the lobby's walls.

"Nicky, it's _so_ good to see you again."

"I wish I could say the same." Another step forward.

Valerie's smile faltered slightly, but she kept the charade going. "Oh, you've always been such a charmer, Nicky. That must be why this darling rabbit loves you so." Valerie's last sentence was venomous, each syllable dripping with danger.

"Nick," Judy called out weakly, comfort in her tiny voice at the sight of him.

"It's okay, Carrots, I'm right here." Another step.

"You have no idea how happy I am to see you," Judy said with a small smile. Nick returned the smile.

"Trust me, Carrots, I think I do." With his words, Nick took another step, but it was one too far for Valerie.

"Don't take another step, Nicky."

Nick froze and held up his paws in defense. "Alright, I'm not moving any further. Let's talk this through, Valerie.

"Yes, _let_ ' _s_. Let's talk about how satisfying it was to inflict all of this pain," Valerie sang with joy as she gestured to Judy and her apparent injuries. "Or let's talk about how satisfying it was to inflict all of this pain when you could do nothing to stop me. You did such a wonderful job of protecting your – now, what do you call her? It's not 'wife,' I know that. Still have commitment issues, I see."

Nick felt his eyebrows raise at the taunt, but before he could return the snide remark, Judy beat him to it.

"The double standards in this room are unbelievable considering Valerie here hasn't laid a paw on me and she's the one with the commitment issues. You should talk to her new boyfriend, Nick, he's a real keeper."

"Shut up, bunny!" Valerie yelled, forcing the gun closer to Judy's head.

"Hey, hey, let's be rational here, Valerie: there are more than a dozen armed cops in here, and just one you, so let's not do anything stupid."

"That's a riot, coming from you, Nicky." Valerie's voice turned to ice, her stare just as cold. Nick decided to detract attention from her for just a moment.

"Carrots, who's the new guy?"

Valerie's eyes flashed with rage. "Don't say a word," she hissed down at Judy. The threat clearly wasn't enough to stop an ambitious Judy.

"Culpeo. He's a fox who has quiet the fetish for torture. Case and point," Judy nodded down as a gesture to her wounds. "I wish I could tell you where he is right now, but I can tell you he's not far. He sticks to Queen Bee here like he'd die if he went three minutes without an order from her."

Valerie only growled in response, her attention momentarily focused on Judy. Nick took advantage of that, nodding to Delgato and Wolfard, who both immediately snuck back down their respective hallways to alert Team D of Culpeo's nearby presence. It wouldn't be long before the sandy fox was found and taken into custody.

"Never mind that," Valerie stated, shifting her harsh words to flirtatious ones as she turned back to Nick. "Culpeo is nothing more than an assistant. I'd take you over him any day, Nicky, Baby."

Midway through her sentence, though, Nick had become distracted as Fangmeyer had slightly lowered his gun, a confused expression on the tiger's face as his attention remained focused on Judy's back. In not paying attention fully, Nick made a fatal mistake, as Valerie immediately noticed.

The female fox's eyes narrowed as she followed Nick's line of site, briefly glancing over her shoulder at Fangmeyer, then down toward Judy. As she turned to fully face Judy, a barely audible snap was just barely heard throughout the silent lobby. Leaving the zip tie that had been bounding her paws on the floor behind her, Judy stood up and in one swift motion, struck Valerie in the face with one paw and disarmed her with the other. Valerie stumbled backwards and Judy immediately took aim.

"Stay where you are," the small rabbit stated in a penetratingly loud voice. She then turned her gaze to Nick, a paw outstretched. "Cuffs."

Nick immediately removed his handcuffs from his belt and tossed them upward in an arch. Catching them with ease, Judy circled around Valerie, who was bleeding significantly from the nose, and firmly kicked her to the ground.

"You have the right to remain silent," Judy began as she latched the handcuffs onto the fox. "Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak to an attorney, and to have an attorney present during any questioning." Finishing her required lines, Judy lifted Valerie up slightly by the back of her shirt so that the two were close once more. Smirking at an amazed Nick and the astounded officers standing idly by, guns half raised, Judy leaned in to say one final thing.

"You're going to prison for a very, very, _very_ long time, bitch."

With a smug smile, Judy dropped the shocked and bloodied fox back on the floor and gestured to the officers. "Get her out of my sight."


	13. Chapter 13

"That was just about the coolest thing I've ever seen you do. I take back every time I ever made fun of you."

"Shut up and hug me," Judy laughed as she pulled Nick toward her. As Nick embraced the tiny, injured bunny, he watched Officer Grizzoli, with other officers following close behind, pull an incredibly bitter Valerie to her feet and lead her out into the daylight, where she would be shoved into the back of a police vehicle. The Chief meandered up to the couple and clapped Nick on the back with a little more strength than what was necessary.

"Good to have you back, Hopps," the cape buffalo stated in a rough voice before he turned back toward the door.

In the following moments, several more officers walked by and slightly hugged or patted Nick and Judy, congratulating them or giving out words of gratefulness for Judy's safety. Though the small gestures of physical contact and remarks were very much appreciated, Judy and Nick only remained embraced, focused on one another until it was only the two of them left in the lobby of the abandoned office building. It was then with a small twinge of regret that Judy and Nick pulled back from the hug to look at one another.

"You look awful," Nick snickered.

"I feel awful," Judy giggled. "Talk about a long day at the office."

"That was a terrible joke, just downright horrible," Nick laughed as he smoothed a small patch of Judy's fur on the side of her face, which she accommodated by leaning her head toward his paw.

"I missed you," she sighed, a content smile on her face.

"Tell me about it," he scoffed. "I think I lost my mind at least four times while you were gone, Fluff."

"Well, it took you long enough."

"Hey, I got here, didn't I?"

"Yes. Yes, you did. Thank you for coming to save me," Judy sighed as she took ahold of Nick's paw and squeezed it lightly.

"I would say 'you're welcome' if I had been the who saved you," Nick chuckled. "That was some serious bad-ass stuff you just pulled in front of me, Carrots. You were like – ' _pow_!' – and then – 'you have the right to remain silent' – I mean, I was _terrified_." The two burst out in laughter at Nick's imitations.

"Yeah, you laugh now, but that was _your_ ex-girlfriend."

"She's my ex for a reason, though," Nick exhaled with a false pained expression.

"You better not have been sleeping with her while you were with me."

"Yikes, I knew I forgot to tell you something."

"Ha-ha," Judy mocked. "That's very funny."

"I'm only here for you, Carrots," Nick stated as he began planting kisses on Judy's face, neck, and shoulders. "I even kept up the wedding planning. Got you a dress and everything."

"Is it incredibly ugly?"

"Oh, _incredibly_. It's hot pink and everything."

"Hot pink? You shouldn't have!" Judy giggled, to which Nick admitted he was only joking, but that he had kept up a few of the plans when he could.

"How are the kids?" Judy asked.

"Don't worry, I only lost two of them while you were gone."

"Nick, that's not funny," Judy laughed as she punched him lightly in the arm. Nick laughed with her.

"They're good. They've missed you a lot, Alan especially. It might just be me, but I definitely think he likes you more."

"I am the more likeable one out of the two of us."

"Our friends would disagree," Nick said in a sing-song voice, making Judy laugh loudly to the point where she nearly snorted. Her laughter was cut short, however, when she inhaled sharply and clutched her side in obvious pain. Nick's smile disappeared.

"Alright, Carrots, let's get you to a hospital," he said softly as he gently scooped Judy up into his arms.

Once in the ambulance and in the paws of several paramedics, Judy was strapped to a gurney and bandages were temporarily applied to her more serious injuries. Nick thanked the Chief and the other officers before he boarded the ambulance with Judy, and the two were on their way to the Hospital of Zootopia. The entire ride to the hospital, Nick held Judy's paw, and barely took his eyes off of her. He loved how the two of them just continued chatting as if everything that just happened never actually happened, even though the feelings this ordeal had created would surely stay with both of them for some time. On the ride, Nick texted his mother and Judy's parents – the latter of which were currently watching over Robin, Red, Alan, and Violet – to let them know of Judy's safety and their current journey to the hospital where the family was more than welcome to meet them.

Once at the hospital, Judy was quickly taken to the Immediate Care Unit. Nick made his way to the waiting room, where he met with his mother, Judy's parents, and the children. It didn't take long for practically the entire ZPD police force to also arrive, making the waiting room just as packed and eventful as almost two years before after Judy had just delivered four tiny babies. After Nick received news that Culpeo had been found on one of the upper floors of the abandoned office building doing something as stupid as attempting to scrub blood from the carpet and taken into custody with Valerie, the group of animals decided that a celebration was definitely in order. When the group was fairly sure no doctors or nurses were around to scold, several champagne bottles were snuck in, opened, and passed around to fill small Styrofoam cups stolen from a nearby attendants' lounge.

They then had to quickly hide all of the paraphernalia almost fifteen minutes later when Judy's doctor came in to notify them of her condition. Nick was pretty sure that the doctor saw at least a glimpse of the champagne going around before they hid everything and most definitely smiled a little, but refrained from saying anything, which the fox was grateful for.

According to the doctor, Judy was going to be fine and recover nicely, but she would be in more than just a little bit of pain for several weeks, and the recovery journey certainly wouldn't be easy on top of all of that. The list of injuries and problems was also quite dizzying: several cuts and scratches all over her body that required more than a dozen stitches each, three broken ribs, major blood loss that resulted in a transfusion, severe dehydration, extreme malnutrition, sleep deprivation, and an ankle broken in two places.

As the doctor spoke about the need for lots of bed rest, fluids, and a diet plan that basically allowed Judy whatever she wanted whenever she wanted it, Nick was only half listening. The important things rang clear in his ears, but he also couldn't help but drift into thought over how strong Judy had been. This was something that Judy had never been trained to deal with physically or mentally, yet the bunny had not only persevered, but also still had her wits, sass, and optimism about her. She had suffered for weeks all because of a fox seeking revenge, all because of Nick, and not once did her ambition or strength falter.

After the doctor finished informing the group, he showed them to Judy, who had been moved from the ICU to the floor of general patients. The door to her room was shut and the shades over the window were drawn. Nick placed his paw on the door handle, hesitated, then removed his paw.

"Come here, kiddos," he beckoned. He placed Violet on his shoulders, picked Alan up, and held onto Red and Robin as they crowded his feet. Then, with a deep breath and one last reassuring look from his mother standing close by, he opened the door.

"Mommy!"

"Hey!" Judy smiled, tears immediately springing to her eyes as she extended her arms to her children. Red and Robin were the first to reach her, racing to the bed (which Nick had to help them up onto), then filling her arms and hugging her tightly. Violet was next, easily slipping from Nick's shoulders into her mother's arms, where she received several long kisses. Finally, a quiet Alan was passed from Nick's paws to Judy's. The tiny fox wrapped his arms around Judy's neck and hugged her tightly.

"Miss you," the fox said softly. Eyes on a smiling Nick, Judy hugged the baby tighter, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"I missed you more," she cried as she turned and kissed his forehead. Nick chuckled lightly and leaned in, kissing first Alan on the head, then Judy.

"Just so you know," he whispered so that only Judy would hear. "You're being a total baby right now." Judy scoffed before she broke down into a fit of laughter with Nick.

For the next ten minutes, a lot of crying and hugging took place in that hospital room as Nick stepped aside for Judy's parents, Mrs. Wilde, Chief Bogo, and several other officers. Then, the champagne made its way around the room again, to which Judy promptly said " _Nick_!" in a very exasperated voice.

A few hours later, after Judy's parents had tried to convince Judy she needed to find a safer job and after the Chief had tried to convince Judy she would need therapy before returning to work – both of which were directly shot down by the rabbit – the crowd thinned. With a few final remarks and several toasts, the Chief and the ZPD officers departed, Bonnie and Stu Hopps left to acquire a hotel (they insisted to stay for at least a few more nights), and Mrs. Wilde insisted on taking the four children back to Judy and Nick's home and properly put them to bed after they had fallen asleep on a nearby armchair.

It was quickly nearing eleven, the sky outside a velvety black with very few glimmering stars, and Nick and Judy found they were together and alone for the first time in a long time.

"You need to sleep, Carrots," Nick sighed as he sat on the edge of Judy's bed. In response, she pretended to think about it, then shook her head with a laugh.

"Not happening."

"Aren't you tired?"

"Oh, _exhausted_ , but being here with you is so much better."

"I'm not going anywhere, trust me," Nick smiled, which Judy returned easily.

"Nick," Judy sighed, her smile fading. "We have been through a lot."

"We have," Nick nodded.

"But that…that was…" Judy stifled a small sob and looked away. "That was rough."

Nick moved closer and pulled her head to his chest, wrapping his arms around her as she cried.

"I know, Judy, I know."

"I thought I was going to die there all alone, Nick," Judy sobbed loudly. "I thought they were going to kill me, and I was so scared that I would never see you or the kids or my family again."

Nick had never been one to cry often, but that didn't mean he didn't cry at all. He cried when those Junior Ranger Scouts muzzled him once during his childhood, he cried when his father died, he cried when Judy nearly had her throat ripped out by that silver fox years ago, he cried when he and Judy had officially come to terms with being parents, he had cried when Judy agreed to marry him, and he found himself crying now as he listened to Judy express her feelings.

Through sobs that racked her body more than once, she told him everything from the second she woke up that late night and heard a noise downstairs.

She told him how she had tried to fight back, but wasn't strong enough. She told him how she had tried to call for help by making noise any way possible, but it hadn't worked.

She told him how she woke up to a bucket of freezing water, and a cold and dark warehouse. She told him about Valerie's taunts; about Culpeo's claws, and how much pain and fear they inflicted; about how she had lost track of time.

She told him about how one day Valerie shoved a phone in her hand, demanding that she call and give him a message; about how she had given up Valerie's name and Culpeo knocked her out; about how she woke up in a new location without her engagement ring.

She told him how the zip ties hadn't been tight enough when they tied her to a new chair at the new location and how she had managed to get free of the restraints. She told him how she had made it down to the lobby of the building before Culpeo had grabbed her. She told him how she had screamed out as Valerie held her down and Culpeo broke her ankle.

She told him about how she had taunted Valerie; about how she got free earlier that day when sitting on the floor; about how she had forced herself to gain the courage to stand up and fight back.

She talked for almost an hour, Nick listening and holding her when she needed it.

"…and then there you were," she smiled. "There you were." She hugged him tightly, pressing her face against his shirt. "Thank you for being there, Nick."

Drying his eyes, Nick stood up. "Come on," he said, his paw outstretched toward her.

"What are we doing?"

"We're going to dance."

"I can't walk," she snorted.

"Hey, don't sass me, I saw you stand right up on that broken ankle and use it to kick down a fox before you called her a bitch, so I know you can walk," Nick laughed. "Plus, I'll let you stand on my feet."

"I can't dance, Nick, you know that – I suck at dancing. You especially suck at dancing!"

"Quit making excuses and just dance with me!"

Looking incredulous, Judy took Nick's paw. Carefully, Nick pulled her from her bed, and brought her to an empty space in the room. He helped her onto his feet, before he pulled out his cell-phone, pulled up "Carrots' Mix" in his music playlists, and pressed play, turning up the volume as loud as it would go.

At the familiar first song, Judy laughed and rolled her eyes. Nick tossed his phone onto the bed before sliding his left paw around Judy's waist and his right paw into her left. He then began slowly moving to the music, twirling here and there, careful not to move too quickly and harm Judy.

One song passed, then another, then another.

As the time passed, the two chatted and joked, Judy giggling and Nick smiling.

"Oh, before I forget," Nick grinned as he reached into his shirt pocket. "Ta-da!"

Judy gasped at the sight of the sparkling – now clean – engagement ring. "You found it! I thought it was gone for sure!"

"Hey, I paid a lot for this, I wasn't going to let somebody just throw it away, Carrots. Here." Choosing not to mention that the ring had been left behind as a taunt, Nick slipped the ring back onto Judy's paw, watching her eyes glaze over with tears again.

"Stop crying, Carrots, you're going to make me cry."

"What are you talking about, you're already crying!" Judy laughed as Nick leaned her into a dip before kissing her fully on the mouth. She pulled back slightly, smiling, and wrapped her arms around his neck before she melted back into him, kissing him deeply. After a few lingering moments, the two broke apart, still in each other's arms.

"I love you, Nick."

"I love you, too, Darling."


	14. Chapter 14

"This is the _worst_ idea you've ever had, Carrots."

"This is the _best_ idea I've ever had!"

"You just got out of the hospital, let's try to take things easy."

"I got out weeks ago, I'm done taking it easy!"

"At least let me carry the paint," Nick chuckled as he took two brand new buckets of paint – one red, the other blue – from Judy's paws, and carried them into the house, then through the glass sliding door that led to the backyard. It was a sunny afternoon in late March, not a cloud in the sky. The grass in the yard was beginning to grow again, patches of brilliant green brightening the yard here and there. Nick placed the paint in the center of the yard, entered the home from the backyard, and then, exited the home out into the front yard. Judy had already climbed into the back of the SUV that was parked in the driveway, and was grabbing certainly more than she could carry.

It had been several weeks since Judy's doctor officially sent the bunny home, though Nick still insisted she needed to take it easy. She had spent almost three weeks in the hospital; her stitches had been removed, she was no longer dehydrated, she was no longer malnourished, she was sleeping normally (though, she had nightmares she didn't like to admit to), and her broken bones were expected to be almost completely healed in another three to four weeks when Nick took her home. Her optimism, however, didn't need practically any time to heal; her massive grin and bouncing positive attitude were apparent as she handed Nick several more buckets of paint. From day one in the hospital, Judy had been eager to return home and catch up on all that she had missed, but her health was forced to come first. While stuck on bedrest, the rabbit made it her duty to plan out everything she and Nick would do with the kids, as repayment for all that she had missed. This included family meals, game nights, afternoons spent in the nearby park, movie nights, trips to the museum, and so much more.

Judy had been kidnapped near the middle of November, and being gone for over a month, she had missed Thanksgiving and Christmas. She had then spent New Year's, and a good majority of January, in the hospital as she recovered. She was released from the hospital near the beginning of February, happily falling back into her usual lifestyle with Nick and the children immediately, and had then celebrated a quiet Valentine's Day at home. In early March, she had returned to the hospital to have her cast removed from her ankle, the doctor deeming that her broken ribs had healed completely and her ankle would no longer need a cast. However, Judy was also told that it would take longer for the ligaments and tendons in her ankle to heal, and she was instructed to continue to take it easy and not put too much pressure on her left leg. She was also told to return to the hospital if the pain bothered her too severally, something she scoffed at. Now, as the year neared April, you could only tell Judy had been through such a traumatic ordeal if you knew what you were looking for. The scars from the wounds Culpeo's claws inflicted were still quite clear, and most likely would take several years to fade, unfortunately, but they still couldn't put a dent in Judy's unwavering beauty. Besides the scars on her body – predominantly on her arms, neck, and torso – the only other reminder she still carried was a slight limp as her left ankle had yet to regain complete strength.

When the couple had welcomed the New Year with several burdens, Nick had stepped up to the plate easily, aiding where he could when he could. Judy still kept some emotions to herself, which easily worried Nick, but he did his best to help her heal however she deemed fit. His main job was reassurance, as Judy felt her missing for several months had corresponded to a failure in being a perfect mother and wife, which Nick disagreed with. Nick had even returned to work full-time back in late February, while a jealous Judy remained home with the children. Judy herself was only days away from returning to work, even though Chief Bogo still insisted that she not overdo it and that she at least attend one therapy session, as covered by the ZPD. With only a few more days until Judy could return to her "normal," she was practically bursting with excitement, resulting in several wild ideas that she pitched to Nick so that she could burn off the energy. Hence the SUV filled with buckets of paint.

"Okay, I think we got it all," Judy beamed as she counted the buckets of paint once more. Nick looked over the large white buckets containing colors of red, blue, green, yellow, pink, white, purple, and orange, that were placed in the center of the backyard. Each bucket had cost them a small fortune each, but Judy had insisted. Together, the couple spread the buckets out so that they were feet apart in the yard, covered the newly stained patio in a plastic tarp that was held down by tape, and removed the lids on the buckets. Once the paint was stirred, Judy entered the house to fetch the children.

"Robin, this is your paintbrush. Violet, take that one," Judy instructed as each child received a small paintbrush. Each child was wearing old, comfortable clothing that Judy dressed them in for crafts. Smiling gleefully as she did so, Judy explained the set up as Nick stood nearby, fiddling with their radio they had dragged out into the yard so that they could have some music while they worked.

Years ago, when Judy and Nick had purchased their home, they had agreed they would paint the fence in the backyard. Long story short, the two had never had the time to actually keep their promise. It was during one late-night conversation that Judy burst out with an idea that Nick thought was clearly mad.

"What if we let the kids paint the fence?" she had said, a smile forming.

"What?"

"You know, let them go crazy with paint on the fence. We can always paint over it later on. It would be so much fun, Nick, just like when we first moved in and painted the rooms!"

There was no talking her out of it.

There they were, the Wilde Family, in old clothes with paintbrushes and buckets of paint on a March afternoon, and from the look on the kids' faces, this was about to be absolute chaos.

"Have at it!" Judy laughed as she unleashed the children after explaining the rules – don't paint the house, don't paint the patio, no eating the paint, etc. Nick slowly turned the dial on the radio, cranking the volume.

It took seconds for Robin and Red to be absolutely covered in paint.

Nick couldn't help but laugh as the kids screeched in delight, paint all over their tiny hands as they splashed colors all over the fence. As Judy had hoped, Nick eventually picked up a paintbrush and joined in, holding up the children so they could reach the top of the fence when they wished, while he painted too. A little while after that, Judy couldn't help but also take part in the fun.

"Here, Alan, what if we drew pictures from one of your books?" Judy asked the tiny grey fox, which he answered with an energetic nod. Picking up a paintbrush and sitting down on the grass next to her son, Judy began to work as she chatted with the baby.

"I'm thinking fire-breathing dragons, what about you?" she laughed, intensity on her face as she began painting. Alan watched in wonder, adding his art when he felt it was needed, and giggling at Judy after she reached over and tickled him when he wasn't looking.

After a few moments, Violet joined the two, bringing with her the idea of painting a carrot field near the dragon, which Alan agreed to enthusiastically. Then, Robin and Red joined the group, cuddling close to Judy and demanding that the dragon be painted so that it was burning down a house.

"That's not happening," Judy giggled as she talked to the two. "Where's Daddy? He would think that's funny–"

Suddenly, a chill shot up Judy's spine as cold wet paint poured down over her head and into her lap, drenching her in brilliant color.

" _Nick_!"

"You look good in orange, Carrots," Nick burst out laughing.

"Oh, you _so_ have it coming, Nick!"

Still laughing, Nick tossed the now empty bucket of orange paint to the side and grabbed a giggling Red, pulling him onto his shoulders as he raced away from Judy.

"Go, go, go!" Red shrieked.

Judy laughed and followed with the other three children. Throwing paint at one another as they did so, the family chased each other around the yard until they were painted more than the fence was. Well, until Judy tripped, that is. Nick, only inches from her, miraculously turned and caught her just before she fell.

"Déjà vu," the fox chuckled as he leaned in and briefly kissed Judy. Judy wrapped her arms around his neck as he steadied her on her feet.

"Last time we did that you told me I was beautiful."

"You still are, Carrots."

Judy's face flushed a light pink, a color that was barely visible under the paint that was currently caked into her fur. She gave him a sly smile, the two never breaking eye contact, Nick's green eyes looking into Judy's violet ones.

"I also remember the inspiration for our daughter's name coming from this moment," Nick chuckled as he looked up at the children still chasing each other around the yard, screaming in small voices as they did so. When Nick turned his head to face Judy, she swiped a paint-drenched paintbrush across his right cheek. Still in each other's arms, the two burst out laughing at one another, Nick shaking his head at Judy's antics.

"Sly bunny," he sighed.

Judy grinned. "Dumb fox."


	15. Chapter 15

"Hey, Carrots, you okay?"

"Yes, why?"

"Your foot is thumping."

Judy looked down at her right foot that was bouncing against the carpeted floor in an extremely rapid fashion. At the sight, the bunny sighed and looked over at Nick, who took her paw reassuringly.

"You don't need to be nervous, Fluff."

"I wouldn't be if we didn't have to do this at all," Judy muttered.

"You know we have to, though. It's the only way you can go back to work. One therapy session, that's all," Nick smiled easily. Of course, he would think this was easy.

The couple sat on a tan couch with large cushions that sunk in comfortably with their weight. They were seated in a small office, surrounded by large book cases and several well-cared for plants. The couch they were on sat facing a coffee table made with dark wood and a large desk made of the same material. Behind the desk sat an empty black swivel chair, which had been slightly turned to face the windows that covered the far wall. The view from the small office was astounding, giving a detailed depiction of the bustling city below.

In her anxious state, Judy's eyes scanned the room, examining every detail. There were several books about general psychology and books about the anatomy of the brain for just about every species of animal. The desk was well organized – not a pen or piece of paper out of place. The large desktop computer placed on the desk was dark with the exception of a screensaver gliding lazily across the screen.

Judy and Nick were dressed professionally, Judy in a white blouse and a black pencil skirt with a large necklace around her neck, Nick actually wearing his full police uniform and not just some outfit he had scraped off of the bedroom floor that morning.

It was early, nearly eight in the morning. Judy and Nick had arrived to the Zootopia Police Department's Psychology Evaluation Department, which was located on the top floor of the ZPD, nearly fifteen minutes prior and had been promptly seated in their current location by a friendly lioness secretary. The couple's four children had spent the night at Mrs. Wilde's home, and were completely unaware of the situation, believing that they were just spending quality time with their grandmother.

Judy jumped slightly at the opening of the office door behind her, her thoughts scattering immediately. Both her and Nick turned and immediately stood to greet Itali Wolfard, lead ZPD psychologist and Officer Wolfard's wife of more than a decade. The wolf greeted them with a smile and sweet tones, shaking paws with the couple before insisting they sit back down. The wolf then sat down on a tan armchair that was just off to the side of the couch, a clipboard and pen in paw. She seemed relaxed, completely at ease, almost as much as Nick.

"Is there anything I can get you two?" the wolf asked in a modulated tone. Both Judy and Nick pleasantly declined.

"So, Officer Hopps – may I call you Judy? You can call me Itali. I understand that both you and Officer Wilde work with my husband."

"Yes, he's a truly extraordinary officer," Judy smiled, her foot still thumping.

"Funny, he says the same thing about you," Itali chuckled. Her voice was incredibly soothing, and Judy found herself relaxing slightly, but not enough.

"Judy, we're here because your recent trauma has surely left more than physical scars, and here at the ZPD, we just want to ensure you're in wonderful physical, mental, and emotional state before you continue your work. We understand you do quite a bit for the ZPD, and we just want to make sure that you aren't going through all of this by yourself."

Judy nodded, casting a small glance at Nick, who smiled reassuringly, still holding her paw firmly.

"Of course, all of this is completely confidential," Itali continued. "And you stated that you would like Nick to accompany us through this, correct?"

Judy nodded, throwing another small glance in Nick's direction. Itali also nodded and scribbled a quick note on the clipboard in her lap.

"Let's start with a little bit about yourself. I hear you're an amazing officer, but also an amazing mother. How many children do you have?"

"Four," Judy smiled at the thought of her children "Three boys, one girl."

"Three boys – I know what that's like," Itali chuckled. "How long have you and Nick been partners here at the ZPD?"

"About eight-and-a-half years."

"How would you describe your relationship?"

"Perfect," Judy chuckled, a small blush spreading across her cheeks. "Nick and I have been partners and good friends for a long time now, and it's all been amazing."

Another note on the clipboard.

"Now, Judy," Itali said as she gestured to the clipboard. "It says here that this is not your first traumatic experience, is that correct?"

Judy felt her anxiety rising again, constricting her chest as it did so. Here we go…

"Yes, that's correct."

"You were attacked in an alleyway by a savage fox, which resulted in several surgeries, vocal rehabilitation, and weeks of rest."

Judy's paw instinctively glided over her throat, where several scars from the incident still stuck out against her grey fur. Images of the alley, the savage fox, the blood, and Nick flooded her brain. The ghost of the pain rushed back, Nick's voice from the past filling her ears.

 _"It's okay, Judy. It's going to be okay. I've got you."_

It had been awhile since she had given that incident thought; it had been years ago, after all. Judy closed her eyes and shook the images mentally, focusing back on Itali, who continued to read from the clipboard.

"You were then attacked by polar bears in a warehouse in Tundratown when you were ten weeks pregnant, which led to – let's see – several gashes, severe bruising, a broken humerus, and a broken clavicle."

Judy felt Nick shift slightly next to her. Judy glanced sideways at him, knowing he must be slightly uncomfortable at the mention of the event that had left him with not only gashes and bruises, but a ruptured spleen, three shattered ribs, and a snapped leg. The event, of course, which Judy had caused by being impulsive rather than rational. This was another event that she hadn't given much thought recently.

" _This is all my fault_."

"You suffered from placenta praevia and required surgery."

 _"_ _Get a doctor. She's bleeding… It's okay, Judy. Judy, look at me, it's going to be okay."_

"Your placenta then later ruptured after delivery."

 _"Is she going to be okay? Please. Is she going to be okay?"_

"That brings me to the events of this last November, when you were kidnapped and tortured for over a month."

 _"_ _Judy, Darling, we're just getting started. I've waited years for this."_

Judy took a deep breath. "You've really done your research," she said with a forced smile. Itali replied with an expression of careful kindness.

"Judy, you've been through a lot, and yet, this is the first time you've stepped foot in my office."

"I've learned to manage," the bunny shrugged.

"No, you haven't," Itali stated, her stare focused on Judy. "You have only learned to tolerate for brief periods of time."

Judy remained quiet, now staring at her lap. She felt Nick give her paw a small squeeze, but from the look on his face, it was clear that he agreed with Itali's words. Itali set her clipboard to the side and leaned back in her chair.

"Judy, tell me about your nightmares."

Judy looked up suddenly, eyes meeting Itali's. Itali's eyes were a bright blue, vigilant and piercing; they bore through Judy and her feelings easily. The wolf was reading her like an open book, and Judy didn't like it.

"I d-don't have–"

"I can only help you if you tell me how you're feeling. I can tell you're having nightmares, Judy. You look exhausted, and this exhaustion runs deeper than being a mother of four. You aren't sleeping, and when you do sleep, you don't sleep well."

Judy felt Nick's eyes on her, a concerned look focused on her. His hold on her paw slackened slightly, enough to create a distance. He knew she had been having nightmares, but he didn't think they were occurring every night.

"Yes," Judy breathed. "I have nightmares."

Judy felt her chest tightening slowly, and felt her body closing in on itself.

"What are your nightmares about?" Itali inquired.

Judy blinked, trying to keep her facial expressions and tone even.

"Her," Judy swallowed hard. "Valerie, and sometimes Culpeo."

 _"_ _What do you want from me?"_

 _"_ _I want to hear you beg for your life."_

"What do you see in your dreams, Judy?"

"I-I see Culpeo and his claws; Valerie c-close to me, whispering her threats. I see the entrance to the abandoned office building and see how close I am to finally going h-home, but it never works."

Judy was practically whispering, practically talking to herself, but she felt as if she were announcing her pain to the world.

 _"_ _You think you can run, Judy? I'm going to teach you what happens when you run. Culpeo, break it."_

 _"_ _No! Please, don't! Please, don't, I won't run again! Valerie, please, don't–_ Ah _!"_

"How does that make you feel?"

"It makes me feel–it m-makes me–" Judy stuttered, shaking her head, not sure what to say. Her anger began to rise with each word that proved difficult.

"Judy, you have to talk to me; that's how we make progress."

"I don't know how it makes me feel, okay?" Judy cried, now on her feet. Her paws were clenched tightly, and her whole body was shaking. Her face and blood felt hot. Nick look slightly startled, but Itali remained completely composed.

"Judy, I'm going to ask you a few things, and they may be a bit hard to comprehend right now, but I want you to think about them, okay?"

Judy didn't say anything, only continued to watch the wolf, her chest heaving as she stood alone.

"Judy, since you've been home, have you felt inaccurate?"

"What?" Judy breathed, her eyes narrowing."

"Have you felt inaccurate? Have you felt like a lesser wife or a lesser mother?"

Only able to stare in disbelief, Judy attempted to push her burning emotions down as she listened. Itali tilted her head to the side in inquiry.

"Or…" she thought aloud, "Have you considered Valerie to be better than you, or worth more than you? Have you considered Valerie to mean more to Nick than what you mean to him?"

 _"_ _I still don't understand what he sees in you – a weak, frail bunny. You're just prey, nothing more, and when I'm finished, Nick will finally realize that."_

Judy's blood boiled, her eyes flashing with deadly anger. She felt Nick reach out and place a paw on her arm, trying to pull her back down to the couch, but she only shook him off impatiently.

"I don't want to talk about this! It was one thing to live through it, but now I have to _talk_ about it like it's something I read in a magazine?" Judy scoffed, tears stinging her eyes as she looked wildly from Nick to Itali. The bunny was livid and flustered.

"No, thank you! I sat in that chair with–with t-that _witch_ for a month! Because of her, I saw more of my own blood than I _ever_ should have! Because of h-her, I spent _weeks_ in the hospital! Because of her, I _still_ can't walk c-correctly! I had to s-suffer through listening to her talk about revenge and m-my husband – _who couldn't even find me_ , by the way! I was left all alone, and now you all want me to keep reliving it! I'm not doing that, I _won_ ' _t_!"

Leaving behind a still calm Itali and a hurt Nick, Judy stormed out of the room.


	16. Chapter 16

"Carrots, can we talk about this, please? Hey, Carrots, slow down… Carrots, just wait a minute… Hopps! Let's talk through this… I know you're frustrated… Judy!"

After several minutes of jogging to keep up, Nick finally caught up with Judy in the parking lot of the ZPD, grabbing her arm to stop her. Haughtily, Judy turned around to face him, her cheeks flushed a deep red and her eyes holding a hateful look.

"What is there to talk about?" Judy snapped as she pulled free from Nick's grasp.

"Carrots, I know you're angry, and I know this is hard–"

"No, actually, you _don't_ know. Last I checked, _I_ was the one dragged from my home and tortured – not you."

"Carrots," Nick sighed, running a paw over his ears and smoothing them to his head. "I'm your animal and you're mine, and we talk through these things together. You can't just shut me out. I'm trying to help… the Chief is trying to help, Itali is trying to help," he gestured back to the building as he spoke.

"Well, you're all doing a smashing job, aren't you?" Judy mocked with a sardonic laugh, turning away angrily again. Nick caught her arm and pulled her back into the conversation.

"This isn't meant to hurt you, Carrots. You can't just bottle up your emotions."

"Oh, yeah? What about you? You bottle up your emotions! You bottle up your emotions about Valerie, and the Junior Ranger Scouts, and your dad, and the polar bear incident, and a million other things!"

Nick's eyebrows furrowed at the mention of the Junior Ranger Scouts and his dad; Judy was digging deep, as she did when she was truly angry, but Nick remained calm.

"I've talked to you about those things."

"Yet I still know nothing about you!"

"You know everything about me, Carrots."

"Really? Why don't you just say out loud that you think the polar bear incident was all my fault? Why don't you talk about how you feel about those Junior Ranger Scouts still being out there after they played us for months? Why don't you talk about your dad?" Judy sighed, exasperated. "What exactly happened between you and Valerie when you were dating? Why can't we talk about things that bother us, Nick?"

Nick looked away, thinking. He placed his paws on his hips, gently tapping his foot against the pavement as he carefully chose his words.

"Carrots, you're making this conversation about something completely different, making it about multiple things that have nothing to do with the situation" he said, his eyes still averting Judy's.

"Fine, then let's narrow it down," she bit back. "You never told me about Valerie and then she showed up in our lives, and rather than siding with me, you sided with her, and when you didn't need her to spite me anymore, you tossed her aside. Then, years later, she came back and _kidnapped_ me!"

"How was I supposed to know that would happen?" Nick shot back in response, his voice rising. "You can't possibly blame me for this, at least not more than I already do, okay?"

Judy bit her tongue, his last words stinging her heart slightly. She didn't want him to blame himself, but her anger outranked that rational thought. She wanted answers and she would get them.

"I deserve an explanation, Nick! After everything, I deserve answers to my questions!"

"I cheated on her!" Nick yelled. "Is that what you want to hear? I cheated on Valerie, okay?"

Judy took a step back.

"W-what? You did what?"

"I cheated on her, Carrots, with another fox I met months after I started dating her. I made a mistake. It was a long time ago."

"But your mother said–"

"She said that Valerie was all over the place and couldn't be trusted, I know. She said that Valerie scammed me, which isn't wrong, but it isn't completely true either."

Nick looked away again, growing frustrated as the memories bubbled to the surface for the first time in several years.

"I was going to propose to her," he sighed. "She seemed like the one, you know? But, then she started acting funny. She started flirting with other foxes in front of me, waiting for my reaction, as if she wanted me to blow up or go off; she likes a show, likes the drama. I never gave her that reaction, but as time passed, I really started to believe that she was seeing someone else. I should have made sure before I… I wasn't thinking… I cheated on her in retaliation. It was a stupid idea. She found out, told me she hadn't done anything, and I knew I had been completely wrong. She left me… I still saw her around in the scamming game in the years after, and she seemed to enjoy the fact that I couldn't have what I wanted, because I did want her. She– she, well–"

"She toyed with you," Judy finished his sentence quietly, seeing the pieces fall together.

"Yeah," Nick responded bitterly. "She did that for a while, too, so when I saw her at the ZPD that one day all those years ago, I was shocked, but it was amusing for me to finally be something that she wanted, but couldn't have."

"'It's called a hustle, Sweetheart,'" Judy mumbled to herself.

"'It's called a hustle, Sweetheart,' yeah, that about sums it up," Nick chuckled, somewhat gravely.

"You two have just trying to get back at one another all these years?"

"You could say that," Nick shrugged. "I'm sorry that back then, I sided with her over you, and I'm sorry that things went this far. I didn't mean for you to get hurt, I promise."

Judy shook her head, wondering how they had found themselves in this situation.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I'm sorry, Carrots."

"I don't see the point in all of this therapy stuff, Nick, it's not fixing anything."

"It's not supposed to fix everything, but it's supposed to help, Carrots, let you express how you actually feel."

"'Never let them see that they get to you,' right, Nick? That's what you said to me, years ago," her expression turned scornful once again. "So, why can't I just do this on my own?"

"Because, you aren't alone, not like I was when I said that. I didn't have you then and you didn't have me, but now we have each other, so _talk_ to me."

Judy sighed heavily, feeling her frustration start to ebb away. A moment of silence fell between the couple as the tension settled.

"I'm sorry," Judy finally exhaled after a few moments. "I just don't like sitting in some office, listening to a list of all the times I failed be read out to me, and then have someone telling me to relive the worst parts of my life. I don't want to do that."

"You see those as times you failed?" Nick asked, reaching his paw to Judy's chin and lifting her face so that they made eye contact. Judy only nodded, feeling tears sting the corners of her eyes.

"Oh, Fluff," Nick sighed as he pulled her in for a hug. "Those are not times you failed. Those are times when you were incredibly brave. You have saved so many lives, Carrots, which is not a failure in my book."

Judy stifled a sob against his chest, and Nick held her tightly.

"Why didn't you tell me about the nightmares, Judy?"

"I was afraid you'd think I was going crazy," the bunny murmured against his chest.

"I already know you're crazy, Carrots," Nick smirked. Sniffling, Judy pulled back and shoved him playfully, before looking down at the pavement below her, hesitating.

"I hate when we fight."

"You're not the only one."

"I don't blame you for any of this, Nick. I shouldn't have said those things, I was just upset, and you shouldn't blame yourself, either."

"I know, Carrots," Nick smiled with a wink. "Let's go home, huh? Kids are at my mom's, we have the night to ourselves. How about we grab something good to eat, go home, maybe put on a movie, cry it all out, and just have some you and I time? I promise we won't ever do another one of those sessions again, deal?"

Judy smiled, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Deal."


	17. Chapter 17

"Pick a venue."

"Check."

"Arrange transportation."

"Check."

"Hire the photographer."

"Check."

"Figure out catering."

"Check."

"Book a florist."

"Check."

"Purchase invitations."

"Check."

"Send out invitations."

"Check."

"Create seating chart."

"Check."

"Get a cake."

"Check."

"Choose menu. Choose music. Choose flowers. Choose wine."

"Check, check, check, check."

"Choose bridesmaids. Choose Maid of Honor. Choose groomsmen. Choose Best Man."

"Check, check, check, annnnd check."

"Get bridesmaids' dresses. Get groomsmen's suits. Get outfits for kids."

"Check, check, check."

"Get wedding dress."

"Check!"

"Get marriage license."

"Check."

"Write vows."

"Check!"

"That's everything, Carrots."

"Let's go through it one more time."

Chuckling softly, Nick threw the large yellow note pad he had been holding on their king size bed. He then turned back to face a fidgeting Judy, who's right foot was practically thumping a hole into the carpet. It was a quiet Sunday afternoon, the chores of the home completed and the events of the following week planned for. Judy and Nick stood in their room, the television turned to a news station, the volume down low. Through their open door, the couple could hear the children playing in their bedroom just down the hall.

"We've been through it three times today, Carrots. We got everything on the list."

"It just feels like we have so much to do!"

"Oh, wait, there's one more thing," Nick said, his face scrunching in thought as he glanced at the notepad on the bed, moving to read from the page.

"What is it?" Judy asked, her nose twitching at the thought of missing something important.

"It says 'marry the fox of your dreams,'" Nick smirked.

"Oh, is that on there?" Judy faked a sigh. "I meant to remove that _months_ ago."

"Ouch!" Nick laughed loudly. "Alright, alright, Fluff. That's everything."

"Are you absolutely sure?" Judy's right foot thumped harder and faster against the carpet.

Nick stepped forward, taking Judy's paws into his own and gently placing his left foot over her right to quiet the soft thumping.

"Yes, I'm absolutely sure," Nick reassured Judy as he leaned down and planted a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"I feel like there's something we're missing," the bunny whined.

"That's because we have been planning nonstop for nine months – a year if you count the lost time over the holidays," Nick reasoned, a smirk etched on his face.

"Are you sure we have everything? You didn't overlook anything or–"

"Carrots," Nick laughed. "We've done it all. Just one more week, Darling."

"Just one more week," Judy smiled shyly.

"You'll officially be Mrs. Wilde on Saturday, so take a deep breath, Fluff."

Nodding quickly, Judy inhaled deeply. She inhaled a second time, then closed her eyes and inhaled several more times before she finally looked back up at Nick.

"Feel better?" Nick asked.

"Definitely," Judy laughed. "So, what now?"

"Well, the bridesmaids and groomsmen picked up their dresses and suits yesterday. We pick up the kids' outfits tomorrow, and then your dress and my suit on Wednesday. Other than that, nothing until Saturday."

"Saturday, the flowers will be delivered at eight. Food and wine should arrive just a little after that. I'll be in hair and make-up all morning."

"I'll get ready, then help my mom get the kids ready to go that morning."

"And she's okay with watching them Friday night and the majority of Saturday?"

"Of course, Carrots."

"Then, if everything goes smoothly–"

" _When_ everything goes smoothly," Nick chimed in with a laugh. "Have some faith in us, huh?"

"Right," Judy smiled. " _When_ everything goes smoothly, then the next time I'll see you will be–"

"At around one o'clock, when your dad walks you down the aisle – right to me," Nick grinned.

"Right to you," Judy grinned back at the fox.

"Oh, and Carrots?"

"Yes?"

"If you trip and fall – no, _when_ you trip and fall, just remember that I'll be right there to pick you up… after I stop laughing."

"How romantic of you to say," Judy giggled.

"What can I say? I'm a charmer."

"Mm-hmm," Judy smirked, using Nick's tie to pull him in for a kiss. "If you're such a charmer," Judy said in a hushed voice, stopping just short so that her and Nick's faces were centimeters apart, their lips close but untouched. "Then, what are these?"

From Nick's left-breast shirt pocket, Judy pulled out two plane tickets that had been tucked just out of sight. With his eyes large, Nick scrambled to snatch the tickets back, but Judy was too quick, jumping out of his reach onto their bed as she waved the tickets in the air.

"I _knew_ you were up to something!" she shrieked triumphantly. "You can't hide things from me, Nick; I'm a cop _and_ your wife!"

"Those were supposed to be a surprise," Nick groaned as he placed his paws on his hips. "How long have you known?"

"Oh, not long – just since February," Judy grinned.

" _February_? It's _May_!"

"You can't expect me not to notice when hundreds of dollars go missing from our account, Nick!"

"Clever bunny," Nick grumbled.

"Dumb fox," Judy smiled broadly as she glanced at the tickets.

"Alright, fun's over; hand 'em over."

Nick reached out a paw, but the bunny only held the tickets higher out of reach.

"Oh, no, no," Judy teased. "I'd like to look at them."

At this, Nick rolled his eyes.

"Look away, _detective_ ," he smirked.

"With pleasure," Judy beamed. She then let out an exaggerated "hmm" as she examined the tickets carefully. However, her game didn't last long as she began to actually read the words typed in black ink on the tickets. "These are tickets to the Canal District," she said, looking back up at Nick.

"They are."

"They're dated for next week…"

"They are."

Judy stared at Nick skeptically, her eyes narrowed. After several long moments, she shifted her weight from one foot to the other on the bed and raised her chin, eyes still on Nick, who shrugged nonchalantly.

"You planned our honeymoon."

It wasn't a question.

"I did," Nick smiled, carefully waiting for Judy's full reaction. "Please, don't be mad," he added hesitantly.

"How long are we staying?"

"Just a week, but we can stay longer if you like. I've already cleared it with the Chief – paid vacation time – and my mom will watch the kids, she insisted."

Judy nodded at his words and looked down at the tickets once again, running her paws over them considerately.

Nick felt his heart skip a beat.

"Carrots?"

If Judy didn't like the honeymoon idea, they were out more than a few hundred dollars – not to mention his plan would have plummeted faster than the time he had attempted to bail out of helping the Zootopia Police Department's first rabbit officer on her very first real case. Nick smiled to himself at the thought of their very first case together. He wasn't an officer at the time, nor had he been willing to help Judy in her time of need until he had seen the severity the case had in making or breaking her career. His eyes swept over the rabbit in front of him, the rabbit who had started off as an over-ambitious cop who was almost too naïve for her own good. Now, well, she was still an over-ambitious cop who was almost too naïve for her own good, but she had grown in more ways than one. She had seen the best in him, even when he hadn't seen it. She had chosen him over the rest of the world, even when the world disgraced her for it at times. She had lived with him, had given him children, had married him before they were even married. Nick marveled at this rabbit, who he knew would always live with him, would raise children with him, would marry him every day if she had the chance. Now, after years of the ups and the downs, they were just a mere week away from tying it all together.

After a few more moments, Judy looked up with a massive grin on her face.

"Does that mean we're going to the Zootopia Space Station?"

"I was thinking more of the beach, but that's fine," Nick laughed.

"Oh, Nick!" Judy laughed as she jumped from the bed and nearly tackled him in a tight hug, the two of them spinning around and falling onto their massive bed in each other's arms.

"You didn't have to – I can't believe you did this!"

"Relax, Carrots, it'll be fun. We both need this. A little quality newly-wed time, just you and I, get away from Downtown Zootopia for a little bit."

Judy grinned and kissed Nick full on the mouth, feeling him laugh against her as she did so. Nick kissed her back, the two each melting into the grasp of one another. After several long minutes in one another's embrace, the two broke apart, smiling at the other.

"Carrots?"

"Hmm?"

"About what you said last week at the therapy thing…"

"Yes?" Judy propped her head up in her paw, watching Nick carefully with a puzzled look.

"I don't think the polar bear incident was your fault."

"Nick–"

"No, no, hold on. Just let me get this out," Nick said gently, his eyes on the ceiling.

"I don't think the polar bear incident was your fault," he continued. "I think it was _my_ fault, but I also know that neither one of us is to blame – we both know the risks of being cops. I don't talk about how I feel about the Junior Ranger Scouts still being out there after they played us for months because I know that's life; I know that that is sometimes the way things work out, and I try not to let my anger get me."

Nick glanced up at Judy, who was listening intently, her eyes focused on him.

"And Carrots," he smiled sadly. "I don't talk about my dad because I miss him more than anything else. I wish my mom still had him, and wish he still had my mom. I wish he had had the chance to meet the kids – to meet you."

Nick placed a paw on Judy's, giving it a reassuring squeeze as he did so.

"We can always talk about things that bother us, Fluff."

"Nick," Judy sighed with a small smile. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Judy."

"One more week, then right to you, _Mr_. Wilde," Judy smiled brightly.

"One more week, then right to me, _Mrs_. Wilde."


	18. Chapter 18

"Ohhh, I'm freaking out, man."

"Stop freaking out."

"That's a lot of help – thank you, Finnick."

"Any time."

Nick was pacing his private room, running his paws over his face and ears as he did so. According to the clock on the wall, it was quickly nearing 12:40, and Nick's nervousness seemed to escalate with each passing minute. He was dressed, with everything else scheduled for that day already completed – flower delivery, food and wine delivery, kids ready, and guests seated.

Now, all that was left was to get married.

If only it were that easy.

"Nick, come on, we gotta go," Finnick urged. The small fennec fox was leaning lazily against the wall nearest the door. Nick was expected to be in the event room of the Zootopia Natural History Museum, which had been converted for the wedding, by 12:45. The Museum was one of Judy's favorite places, and since its renovations at the time of the "night howler incident," the couple and the children had visited the building many times. To Nick and Judy, the Museum represented a turning point in their relationship, and it seemed fitting to hold the biggest turn in their relationship here.

With a sigh, Nick shook his head and put himself back in the game.

"Okay," he breathed. "I'm ready."

"If it makes you feel any better," Finnick shrugged as the two began making their way to the event room. "I'm sure she's freaking out too."

"I think I'm freaking out."

"There's no reason to freak out, Jude the Dude."

"Oh, you aren't helping, Stu!"

"Well, I'm trying, Bonnie!"

"Neither one of you are helping!"

Judy was pacing her private room, wringing her paws as she did so. According to the clock on the wall, it was quickly nearing one o'clock, and Judy's nervousness seemed to escalate with each passing minute. She was dressed, with hair and make-up done, and everything had gone smoothly so far – flowers had been delivered, food and wine had been delivered, Nick had informed her that he and the kids were ready, and the guests were all properly seated.

Now, all that was left was to get married.

If only it were that easy.

"Judy, Honey, we should get going," Stu Hopps urged as he took Judy's paws in his own. Judy glanced at her father, then down to her paws, where she clearly noticed the empty space that represented her missing wedding ring. Her expression softened at the thought of Nick giving her the ring one last time. The bunny looked back up at her father, who was watching her carefully. "I'll see you two down there," Bonnie Hopps smiled as she kissed Judy's cheek and gave her husband a reassuring look, before exiting Judy's private room and making her way to the event room. Judy was expected to be in the event room of the Zootopia Natural History Museum by one o'clock. The couple was back to where it seemed to all begin, taking another turn in their relationship.

With a sigh, Judy shook herself from her thoughts and looked up at her father.

"Okay," she breathed. "I'm ready."

With that, Judy's father led her down several staircases until they stood, arms interlocked, in front of a large set of oak doors that opened into the event room. Two antelopes, who had been hired with several other antelopes as waiters for the event, stood just outside the doors, ready to open them when instructed. Judy knew that several things awaited her on the other side of those doors, and the feeling overwhelmed her. A massive room, with a polished floor and several swinging chandeliers, were waiting on the other side of those doors. The guests – her friends and family, her bridesmaids and his groomsmen, her children, her future husband, were waiting on the other side of those doors. She paused a moment, holding onto her father firmly.

"Judy?"

"I'm okay, I'm okay," she sighed, feeling tears sting her eyes slightly. "Just need a minute."

At her words, Judy's father remained silent, watching his daughter with an appreciative expression. After a few silent moments, Judy looked up at him.

"You know," she smiled. "The first time Nick proposed, it was a crazy accident? I was almost six months pregnant, and one of the babies kicked for the first time. I dropped a plate and it broke; Nick had been in the shower, and he came running to check on me. When he went to get his clothes, the ring fell out of his shirt pocket. He told me that he was going to officially propose later, but he got down on one knee and did it right there in our kitchen," Judy chuckled at the memory.

 _"_ _I wasn't going to propose for a while."_

 _"_ _When are you planning on doing it?... Oh, come on, you can tell me, Nick!"_

 _"_ _If I do something right now, do you promise to wait until I actually propose?"_

 _"_ _But when are you going to propose?"_

 _"_ _Soon, I promise, but I want it to be a surprise."_

 _"_ _Okay. What are you going to do now?"_

 _"_ _I'm going to show you, but I'm going to hide the ring after I do it. This time, it won't be in my shirt pocket so you won't go looking for it."_

 _"_ _Okay, what are you going to do now?"_

 _"_ _This… Carrots, will you marry me?"_

 _"_ _Yes!"_

"He loves you, Judy," Judy's father stated with affection.

"I know," Judy nodded, as she carefully wiped the emerging tears from her eyes. With one last deep breath, Judy nodded at her father and the waiters, who opened the large doors in one clean movement.

There she was.

To Nick, Judy had the ability to make anything look good – she even made three nights of no sleep due to work and four children look good – but now, there was truly nothing that compared to the looks Judy possessed on her wedding day. As soon as Judy entered the room, every animal present focused their attention on her with warm smiles on their faces. Nick felt his paws, which were casually hidden in his pockets, begin to shake slightly, and tried to keep them steady so no one would notice. In this moment, even a room full of family and friends seemed to make him nervous, though he knew they had to be a little bit nervous too.

Within seconds of entering the room, Judy and Nick's eyes met. It took every bit of Nick's being to remain calm, to not pass out, but he couldn't help having a wild grin on his face at the sight of the bunny. She was wearing the "fairy tale" dress of her dreams, which was made up of a fitted bodice and a full skirt that flared at the waist. The ball gown came up to her chest, where sheer lace fabric fit her shoulders and upper back perfectly. The measurements and fittings done on the dress over the last few months had truly been for the best, as every inch of fabric fit the rabbit with distinct precision. Judy and the dress seemed to fit one another without fault, bringing out the best in each other. Her left arm was interlocked in her father's right, and in her right paw, Judy held a bouquet made up of flowers the colors of summer that were held securely together with white ribbon.

It felt like an eternity since he had seen her last, though he knew it had only been a few hours. He tried to take a deep breath and steady himself, but he also couldn't tear his eyes away from Judy and the energy she seemed to bring into the room with ease – then again, no part of him wanted to tear his eyes away.

"Right to me," Nick whispered to himself.

When Judy returned Nick's smile and took the first step down the aisle, he was sure someone was going to have to revive him.

There he was.

To Judy, Nick had the ability to maintain a confident and tranquil ambience in any situation – he even made the scariest of situations absolutely calm – but now, there was nothing but Nick's familiar smirk that could have put Judy's mind and heart at ease. As soon as Judy entered the room, every animal present focused their attention on her, which immediately set her on edge. She felt her paws, which were grasping a bouquet of flowers, begin to shake slightly, and tried to keep them steady so no one would notice. In this moment, even her father, who's right arm was interlocked with her left, seemed to make Judy nervous, though she knew he had to be a little bit nervous too.

Within seconds of entering the room, Nick and Judy's eyes met. Judy saw a wild grin on the fox's face, one that was genuine and one that still managed to possess the confidence and tranquility one of his familiar smirks did. At his smile, Judy felt every bit of her tension ebb away. She felt her muscles relax and her paws steady; she felt her self-assurance returning. He was wearing a dark grey suit, his undershirt a crisp white and his vest a light brown. His tie and pocket square were a color that perfectly mixed grey and brown so that it matched his ensemble yet also drew attention. The measurements and fittings done on the suit over the last few months had truly been for the best, as every inch of fabric fit the fox with distinct precision. Nick and the suit seemed to fit one another without fault, bringing out the best in each other. His paws were placed in his pockets, his demeanor completely casual.

It felt like an eternity since she had seen him last, though she knew it had only been a few hours. She took a deep breath and steadied herself, but refused to tear her eyes away from Nick and the sereneness he seemed to bring into the room with ease – then again, no part of her wanted to tear her eyes away.

"Right to you," Judy sighed quietly.

When Judy returned Nick's smile and took the first step down the aisle, she was sure someone was going to have to revive her.

Judy and Nick kept their eyes locked on one another, even as the music started, even as the guests stood and watched Judy with merriment, even as Stu Hopps' grasp on Judy's arm tightened slightly with their first movements. With her first step down the aisle, Judy felt a wave of emotion suddenly rush over her. The feeling was a giddy nervousness she couldn't quite describe, and each step down the aisle felt unreal and distant.

"Right to you," she reminded herself silently as she let Nick's smile and casual demeanor guide her forward.

Judy wasn't the only one being affected by this wave of emotion. Nick had never been one to cry often, but that didn't mean he didn't cry at all. He cried when those Junior Ranger Scouts muzzled him once during his childhood, he cried when his father died, he cried when Judy nearly had her throat ripped out by that silver fox years ago, he cried when he and Judy had officially come to terms with being parents, he had cried when Judy agreed to marry him, he cried when he listened to Judy express her feelings about her kidnapping, and he found himself crying now as he watched his wife walk down the aisle toward him. No, Nick had never been one to cry often, but after years with Judy Hopps, he was now one to cry often.

"Right to me," he repeated with determination as he watched Judy make her way down the aisle.

A few seconds later, Nick greeted Judy and her father at the end of the aisle, where Stu Hopps officially gave his daughter away.

Together, Judy and Nick stepped in front of their wedding officiant, a jaguar that Mrs. Wilde claimed was "an old family friend," something that neither Nick nor Judy felt the need to object to as long as the jaguar was qualified. Sparing one quick look away from each other, the couple gave a last glance to their friends and family. Bonnie Hopps was already in tears, and Stu seemed to be heading that way himself. A smiling Mrs. Wilde sat with the children, who were all dressed nearly identically to Nick and Judy, and who were amazingly quiet and watching with keen attention – though Red and Robin seemed to be having a small squabble over their tiny ties. Throughout the room, animals were either smiling or nearing tears if they weren't already wiping them away. In the back of the room, Nick had even sworn he had seen a sobbing Clawhauser being comforted by a very stern Chief Bogo, but he didn't have time to double check as the jaguar officiant began greeting the audience.

After the greeting was completed, and the jaguar read a few noble quotes of love and unity, Nick and Judy were each handed one another's rings.

"The couple will now read their vows," the jaguar stated. "Celebrating the unity of two people in this way proclaims in public what was decided in the private corners of the heart. It proclaims the couple's belief that they are meant to be together, and that they are ready to embrace the future together. Nick and Judy wish to pledge their vows to each other before us today."

At this, Nick took Judy's paw and returned her ring to its proper place.

"I, Nick, take you, Carrots," Nick winked with a smile. "To be my equal partner in love, life, and law, today, tomorrow, and forever. I promise to take you as my partner, my best friend, and as my wife. Somehow, my life has come to this amazing moment – excuse me, I have to take a breath to believe this is real – and now I will always share this moment with you. I promise to kiss you each and every day, to love you through each bunny espresso, and to love you even who you don't know when to quit."

Judy found herself chuckling along with the guests at Nick's vows. When the laughter subsided, she felt him squeeze her paws reassuringly. Judy then took Nick's ring and put it on his paw, before she looked into the fox's green eyes and grinned.

"I, Carrots, take you, Nick," Judy smiled genuinely. "To be my equal partner in love, life, and law, today, tomorrow, and forever. I promise to take you as my partner, my best friend, and as my husband. Sometimes, I watch just the smallest things you do and think I am the luckiest animal alive. I'm marrying you today, but we both know that I married you years ago. I promise myself to you; I promise my love to you, not just for this moment, not just for an hour, not just for a day, not just for a year – I will _always_ love you."

Judy felt tears stinging her eyes, but she didn't care; she just kept smiling at Nick, who just kept smiling right back at her, tears filling his eyes.

The jaguar took a small step forward and continued the ceremony.

"Do you, Nick, take Judy to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do."

"Do you, Judy, take Nick to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do."

"You may now kiss the bride."

Nick didn't have to be told twice.


	19. Chapter 19

"Alright, I'd like to start off with a toast to my wife," Nick smirked, one paw in his suit pocket, the other holding a glass of champagne.

"Get ready, this is gonna be long," the fox laughed, which the crowd happily returned.

"Everyone in this room has seen Carrots and I at some of our worst and best moments, and we want to thank you very much for that, but I have to say, you really have _no_ idea what we've seen in one another, so I'd like to tell you. I met Cottontail a little less than eight years ago – she's old, I know," Nick paused and chuckled at the punch Judy delivered to his arm.

"Sorry, sorry – _I_ ' _m_ old. Anyway, I met her about eight years ago in an ice cream shop. At the time, my pal, Finnick, and I were in the scamming business of selling pawpsicles, and Carrots was a new cop who we – well, scammed. Back then, Carrots wanted a real case, so she decided to take on the Nighthowler Case, which at the time was nothing more than several missing animals with empty case files. This rabbit then scammed _me_ – I never paid taxes, it was a whole thing, it's not important – and I ended up on one of the wildest rides of my life. We were chased by jaguars, wolves, rams; we almost got iced by Mr. Big; we flushed ourselves down a toilet because Carrots doesn't know when to put her phone on silent; we even high jacked a train! Long story short, I let the first rabbit officer convince me to become the first fox officer," Nick smiled, then paused slightly, his eyes watching his feet as he made his way forward. He was now near the center of the room, the guests seated in chairs at tables around what had been designated the "dance floor." Judy, along with her Maid of Honor, Fru Fru, and Nick's Best Man, Finnick, were all seated at a long table placed horizontally at the head of the room.

"That was the best thing that ever happened to me," Nick stated in a soft voice, taking pauses between thoughts. "This bunny saw the best in me, saw me for more than just some fox. She was the first animal to do this, and she flipped my whole world upside down. Since then – well, you know – it's been just as wild a ride as that first case together. Carrots and I have faced our pasts together, have solved numerous cases, and have been in the hospital more times than I would have liked. We lived in my awful apartment together; we stayed up late watching movies together; we laughed together; we bought a home together; we brought four amazing kids into this world together, we planned this wedding together. Personally, I have watched this little bunny take on the world and win. It's, by far, the scariest and sexiest thing I've ever seen," Nick snickered at his joke as Judy let out a noise of indignation, and the crowd burst into a fit of laughter.

"Sorry, sorry! My point here is… there is _no one_ I would have rather spent just about the last decade with, and there is no one I would rather spend the rest of my life with," Nick stated.

The fox then reached down and removed his cellphone from his suit pocket. He unlocked the phone and showed everyone the wallpaper on his home screen: a picture from about two years prior, on the day the kids at been born. The picture depicted an extremely exhausted, but happy Judy, and a smirking Nick holding their four newborn children, who were all swaddled in hospital blankets and sleeping peacefully.

"Despite the new phones I've gotten and the pictures I've taken over the years, this picture will always remain my favorite and has been my wallpaper for so long for that reason," Nick sighed as he looked at the photo. "With that, I'd like to change it."

Nick turned and faced Judy, as the crowd let out noises of approval.

"If you please, Carrots," Nick said as he gestured dramatically to the empty space in front of him. Laughing, Judy stood and made her way to the center of the room with Nick, who stepped back and made a show of taking what he considered to be the perfect picture of his wife. Nick then set the new photo as his wallpaper and showed the laughing audience. The phone now depicted a smiling Judy, her head slightly tilted to the side, and her wedding dress billowing around her.

After the audience expressed approval of the photo, Nick put his phone away, and reached for a hidden pocket just inside his suit jacket. A moment later, his paw revealed a carrot pen with dulling orange color. He waited for the audience to quiet down some, then pressed the "play" button on the side of the pen. Judy's voice, clearly happy, as well as some background noise, filled the room.

" _Yes_."

"This was when I officially proposed to Carrots, in front of just about everyone here today," Nick continued. He stepped forward, planted a kiss on Judy's cheek, before he pressed the "record" button on the pen.

"A toast to my wife – who I love now and will love always," he said to the pen and the crowd, before releasing the "record" button.

"Oh, and I'll try to love the kids now and then, too," Nick grinned as he raised his glass and drank with the crowd. The guests clapped and cheered as Nick leaned in and kissed Judy once more.

"Alright, you've talked enough, Drama Queen, it's my turn," Judy giggled as she pushed Nick to sit down. The bunny then graciously accepted a full glass of champagne from a guest and waited for the crowd to settle. Now the center of attention, Judy cupped her champagne glass in both paws and began her toast.

"I'd like to thank you all for everything you have done for us, as Nick said. Everyone in this room has been a huge part of our lives and we appreciate you all so much for that. It's pretty hard to top Nick's speech, but I sure will try," Judy gibed. "Now, don't get me wrong, I do enjoy the story of how Nick and I met, and every story from then on, but I'd rather talk about something that happened rather recently. For those of you who keep up with our family in a regular fashion, you'll recall that I was absent from my life for about a month, and then was still absent in some ways in the months after," Judy paused and took a deep breath that slightly rattled her lungs.

"I appreciate Nick for his kind words when he said I took on the world and won, but I have to admit that this last year has been the hardest year of my life – been the hardest year of our lives, actually. I owe my life to Nick on more than one occasion. Nick has always been at my side, even when I shot him on purpose," Judy smiled as she heard Nick laugh behind her. "For that, I am extremely grateful. In all honesty, Nick and I have been married for a very long time. I married Nick when I asked him to join the ZPD and become my partner. I married him when we first started dating and I slept on his _really_ ugly couch every night. I married him when my wedding ring fell out of his shirt pocket in front of me. I married him when he proposed… _twice_. Technically speaking, I've married Nick more than once, but I truly married Nick in a hospital room just before we welcomed our four children," Judy glanced at her four kids, who were watching curiously as they sat with their grandmother, and smiled lovingly.

"I used to think that coming to Zootopia, that becoming a cop was the greatest thing to happen to me, but I was wrong. Nick held me as I cried in a hospital room months ago because I thought that I had officially broken, and since then, he's convinced me that I am far from broken. These scars," Judy ran her paws over her cheek and down her neck, where several scars from Valerie and Culpeo's crimes stood out clearly in her fur.

"They are a reminder of a horrible experience that has changed me forever… but, they are also a reminder of my strength, of Nick's strength, of my family's strength, of the ZPD's strength. They are a reminder that Nick will always be there for me, will always be there to make me laugh even when I want to cry," Judy turned and faced Nick, nodding thankfully at him, before turning back to the crowd.

"A toast to my husband, who I know will always be there to hold me," Judy raised her glass with a smile on her face. The crowd drank, though Judy did not.

"Is he crying?" she asked the guests, who began laughing. Judy turned and saw the fox in a mess of tears, trying to laugh it off and wipe the evidence away. Nick stood and hugged her, the two of them laughing as the crowd cheered once more.

With the official ceremony completed and the toasts concluded, the wedding moved on to the more entertaining part of the night. Nick and Judy cut their wedding cake (Judy got a massive piece of cake to the face thanks to Nick), and the couple took part in multiple games with the guests. Judy danced with her father, Nick danced with his mother, and the couple danced with their children. Almost two hours after they had said "I do," the couple found themselves alone on the dance floor, all eyes on them as the DJ began playing "Carrots' Mix." Nick pulled Judy in close, their paws interlocked, their faces centimeters apart. They gently swayed and spun to the music, laughing quietly with each other.

"It took almost eight years to get here," Judy sighed so only Nick could hear. "But, every minute was worth it."

"It feels like just yesterday I was shaking your hand outside of that ice cream parlor," Nick smirked.

 _"…Officer...?"_

 _"Hopps! Mr…?"_

 _"Wilde, Nick Wilde."_

"Oh, you mean right before you scammed me?"

"I don't recall," Nick chuckled.

"Oh, I'm sure," Judy laughed with him, leaning her head against his chest as they continued to sway to the music.

"Nick?" she asked quietly after some time.

"Yes, Carrots?"

"Words really can't express how much you mean to me. You've been my partner and my best friend for years, and there's not a moment with you that I don't absolutely cherish."

"Judy," Nick smiled as she looked up, her eyes widened at the use of her first name – the typical reaction when Nick didn't refer to her using a nickname. "You turned my life into something truly wonderful. I honestly can't tell you where I would be today if I hadn't met you all those years ago. I certainly wouldn't have such an amazing job, good friends, truly special children, and a beautiful wife," Nick smiled as he spun his wife around slowly, her dress filling out as she turned. "I wouldn't have a family if it weren't for you, and I know we've only been married for a couple of hours, but I took you for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health years ago."

Judy felt tears stinging her eyes. "Don't make me cry," she breathed.

"Too late, Darling," Nick smiled as he pulled the bunny back in, leaned down, and firmly planted a kiss on her forehead. The two continued to dance, now closer before, enjoying one another's company.

"Nick."

"Hmm?"

"I'm pregnant."

Nick immediately stopped dead in his tracks.

"Carrots…" Nick moved back so that he could Judy's face. The bunny covered her mouth to keep from laughing loudly.

"Tell me you're joking."

"Surprise!" she whispered with a smile. "I was going to wait and tell you later tonight, but this felt like a good time."

"How long have you known?"

"I went to the doctor's the other day when you took the kids to the park. I'm seven weeks along."

"Oh, Rabbit," Nick groaned as he pulled her back in, continuing the dance and smiling to himself. "You're something else."

* * *

 **Another story complete! Thank you all very much for being patient with me, as I know that I didn't update this story incredibly often. I am currently in the process of writing a story that will detail Nick and Judy's honeymoon trip, but in the meantime, I will be updating a few of my one-shot collections that I've been neglecting. I hope you all enjoyed this story, and that you continue reading my stories as I post and update them!**

 **Much love,**

 **TatorTotTottish**


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